Pokemon: Beyond the League
by Volcan
Summary: Relaunch of Pokemon: Quest of a True Master. Mark Taylor loses his title of Hoenn Champion to a challenger, leaving him wondering where to take his life as a Pokemon Trainer. Little does he know that his life is about to change forever, and he will be plunged into the greatest challenge he has ever faced... Rated T for language and some dark tones. You have been warned
1. Prologue: Fall of the Champion

Note: This is a relaunch of my original Quest of a True Master series, going under a new –less, let's be honest, pretentious name with a highly rehashed beginning, to try and make up for the mistakes I made on the previous launch. I apologize for making you all start the series over when it had already come so far, but I had many trusted sources, and my own conscience as a writer, telling me this had to be done.

I hope you find this new one as good, if not better, than the original. I hope not to disappoint any of you with this decision, or this story.

* * *

Prologue:

Fall of the Champion

The battle had raged on for quite some time...

Mark Taylor, the current Hoenn Champion, against the challenger Randy Calvin. Their partner Pokémon were locked in fierce combat. Mark with his Fire/Fighting-type Blaziken, known by her nickname Vitesse, against a Grass-type Sceptile known as Thorn.

Normally the advantage in this battle would have been obvious to even the newest of Pokémon Trainers; that a Fire-type will always have the edge against a Grass-type. Especially with the Champion's Blaziken having ascended beyond her limits through Mega Evolution, to become a mighty Mega Blaziken.

Yet, even with that power, Mark's Blaziken did not have the edge, for Thorn too possessed that power. When Mark had used his keystone to evolve Vitesse to her Mega Evolved form, Randy had followed suite with a keystone worn from a string around his neck, unlocking his Sceptile's ultimate power. With his evolution he had also gained the Dragon-type, abolishing his natural weakness to Fire and granting him power and speed enough to face Vitesse.

What tipped the scales further was that Thorn was a master of fighting at a distance –the polar opposite of the close-range Blaziken, and though most of his attacks, being grass-type, had little effect against her, unleashing them repeatedly while keeping away from her own was going to eventually yield results.

At one part of the battle, it looked as though Randy would get the edge again, as when Thorn managed to get enough distance, Randy issued a new command. "Synthesis!" And at the order, Thorn used the sunlight beaming in from the windows above to heal himself.

But it seemed Mark was of a similar mind. "Vitesse, Roost!" And so the Blaziken leapt up to the top of a nearby column, standing perfectly still and shutting her eyes as she let herself relax, and released a flowing, restorative energy into her body, healing her bruises and cuts and bringing her back to a better level of health.

Randy snickered when he saw Vitesse do almost a repeat of Thorn's move. "This could drag on for a while," he said. "Heh... could've made a 'dragon' pun there."

"Wrong," Mark stated as Vitesse jumped back down to ground level, facing Thorn again. "This battle is about to end now."

"Oh ho, ho! Is it?" Randy asked, grinning widely. "Challenge accepted! Let's see what your big finisher is then, Champ! Thorn, use Tree Missile!"

Thorn turned to a sideways stance, aiming his tail at Vitesse as his trainer had commanded, and with an explosion of energy from the root of the tree-like tail end where it connected to the rest of the tail itself, it launched towards the Blaziken, racing across the arena and spiralling as it soared towards her.

"Go, Vitesse!" Mark called, knowing the Blaziken would know exactly what to do. And she did, taking a step forward before she made a mighty leap over the tree missile, dodging it with only a small corner of the lower half grazing her back as she arched over it in a reverse arc, but doing her no harm.

To add to the surprise, she did not even land on her feet, but on her taloned hands, and somersaulted repeatedly as she closed the distance towards Thorn. So caught off guard by the display of gymnastics, both Randy and Thorn hesitated to react, and then Vitesse stopped on her hands in front of the Sceptile, delivering a two-legged Blaze kick right to his torso and sending him flying straight up into the air, back-flipping uncontrollably as he nearly reached the ceiling

Thanks to having healed earlier, Thorn was still not down even after that brutal attack, but he had been winded by the kicks to his chest and was slow to recover, almost landing poorly as he returned to the ground and used both hands and feet to break his fall. But as he tried to stand up, he nearly doubled over to cough, giving Mark the opening he needed.

"Now, Dual Chop!"

The Blaziken lunged, racing up to Thorn and slowing down just as she began to turn, her two hands glowing with light purple energy as she held them both in a knife-hand fashion and spun in a full circle to add momentum to her strike. The first hand struck Thorn's shoulder –only a glancing blow to make him wince, but when the second strike found his cheek, finally it was lights out for Thorn...

The Sceptile reeled, eliciting a long, pained groan as he fell to the floor, and going silent as he lay slack against the stone. It was clear he could no longer continue when he devolved from his Mega Evolution, back to the form of a regular Sceptile.

Begrudgedly, Randy called Thorn back to his Poké Ball, staring at it for a long moment before he returned it to the holster on his belt, turning his gaze towards Mark and meeting the eyes of his new opponent. "I have to hand it to you, and your Blaziken," he began. "You guys are some of the toughest opponents I've ever faced. How you made it to be Champion isn't even a question."

"You're a really good trainer yourself," Mark returned respectfully. "I would even go as far as admitting you have the qualities of a Champion, and are certainly worthy of the title." His expression turned hard as he finished his compliment to Randy. "But Vitesse and I won't surrender our title so easily; we fought hard to get here, and we will fight to keep it."

"Then I guess I'll just have to dethrone this king," Randy stated as he reached for his next Poké Ball and hurled it forward. "Go!" He called.

The ball opened, and from its confines, a blue-furred, jackal-like Pokémon emerged; a Lucario wearing a blue scarf around its neck, standing tall and proud on its pawed feet as it faced Vitesse, shifting to a sideways stance and letting out a rumble of anticipation.

But Mark only scowled. "You think I'm going to fall for that trick a second time?" He asked. "You already fooled me into believing that you had a Lucario when your Zoroark impersonated one and beat my Tropius."

"You think this one's a trick, do you?" Randy asked, grinning broadly. "Okay then, show him, 'Shadow', whether you're real or not."

At his command, the 'Lucario' moved its arms around to its front, cupping its paws in front of its belly and hardening its stare as an orb of swirling blue and white energies suddenly formed in between its paws, bathing the caster and everything in front of him in light. Mark realized his error too late as the Lucario –a _real_ Lucario- sent a powerful Aura Sphere flying at Vitesse and struck her directly, sending her airborne and flying back a full two meters before she hit the floor again.

"It's... not your Zoroark!" Mark exclaimed.

"Nope," Randy returned. " _This_ is Cairo; he's real, and he's ready to rumble!"

" _Arruuu!"_ Cairo howled, flexing his arms vigorously before he shifted his stance again, waiting for Vitesse to get up and fight him.

Recovering from the Aura Sphere attack took her a moment, but eventually she flipped back onto her feet, and used Roost once more to recover some of her strength. She would only be able to use that recovery move one more time, Mark knew. He took a second to think about his opponent's Pokémon, weighing his options.

 _'_ _Lucario is part Steel-type; that means it'll be vulnerable to Fire,"_ Mark thought, in deep consideration. _'But there's no way Randy doesn't know that; using his Sceptile was one thing since it lost its weakness to fire by Mega Evolving, but that's not the case here. If he's bold enough to actually use a Lucario against Vitesse knowing that she has a type advantage, he must be pretty damn confident in its abilities. I better be ready with my trump card.'_

Deciding he would take it cautiously for now, Mark gave Vitesse her next command. "Use Bulk-Up!" He ordered her.

Vitesse widened her stance, crossing her arms over her chest as she channeled the energy in her body into her limbs, enhancing it through her will and that of her trainer, before she opened her arms and raised them high, the ribbons of fire trailing from her wrists intensifying as she held her hands up. Finally, she brought her arms down, releasing a shrill cry as she felt her body filling with power, pumping her arms as her muscles visibly bulged beneath her feathers.

 _'_ _Her Speed Boost has brought her speed up to maximum by now,'_ Mark thought. _'And with Bulk-up, her strength and her physical durability are increased. Using her speed to close in on Cairo, she can take him down at close range.'_ He felt himself brimming with confidence. _'She_ can't _lose!'_

"Cairo, Aura Sphere again!" Randy called.

Once more, the Lucario formed one of those spheres of energy and hurled it at Vitesse; she banked right, dodging it easily and sending the glowing orb soaring harmlessly across the room. Seeing her window of opportunity, she then moved to charge Cairo, but she did not move six steps before the same sphere raced past Mark again, startling him and catching her in the blind spot, sending her stumbling uncontrollably towards Cairo.

"What?!" Mark demanded.

"Force Palm!" Randy added.

Lunging forward, Cairo met Vitesse up close just as she started to regain her balance, his paw glowing as he elevated it up to shoulder height, and then thrust forward with lightning speed. Without even fully touching her, the Blaziken felt a wrecking ball of force hit her stomach and send her skidding across the floor, clutching where she had been hit and coughing painfully as she dropped to one knee.

"What's going on here?" Mark demanded. "She dodged that Aura Sphere; how did you do that?!"

"You _can't_ dodge Aura Sphere," Randy declared with a broad grin. "When a Lucario uses Aura Sphere, they use their own Aura Sense to lock onto their target's own aura like an anti-vehicle rocket, and with that they can make the sphere zero right in on their target. Short of using something to intercept it, there is no way to avoid an Aura Sphere; no matter how fast your Blaziken is, it'll chase her until it finds her."

 _'_ _Son of a bitch!_ ' Mark cursed in his mind, now understanding why Randy had chosen his Lucario; it wasn't about typing at all -it was about the unique moveset that would let Cairo abolish her supposedly astronomical speed advantage by using an attack she could not avoid. To pour salt on the wound, too, Aura Sphere was a _Special_ Attack, namely non-physical, which meant that the increase to her durability she had gained from Bulk-up would amount to nothing against it.

 _'_ _If I don't get her in close and nail that Lucario now, we're going to lose!'_ He looked at Vitesse. "Hey girl; are you okay?"

Vitesse shook herself to clear her head, looking back at her trainer and nodding to him to confirm she was still able to continue. "Roost, one more time," Mark instructed. Repeating her earlier gesture when asked to use the attack, she tapped into the last of Roost's energy to heal herself, bringing her strength back up, but not completely.

Mark had been a trainer for a long time, and he knew when a battle was fast approaching its conclusion. Unfortunately, he also knew when it was _not_ in his favor. _'I have to stop those spheres somehow_ , _'_ he thought.

"Alright, Cairo, another Aura Sphere!" Randy called.

The Lucario barked in reply, conjuring another of those energy orbs before hurtling it at Vitesse. Once more she dodged it, this time making sure not to turn her back to it, and watching as it stopped in midair. In less than a second, it was mobile again, coming right back at her; she evaded it once more, but every dodge was for naught; the sphere would not stop until it found its target...

Unless...

Mark's gaze drifted down, to the tiles across the floor; throughout the battle, especially against Thorn, the floor had been extensively damaged, and many of the stone tiles were loose and broken. Staring at those tiles gave Mark an idea –one crazy enough that it might actually work. "Vitesse! Use one of the tiles to intercept it!" Mark called. _'I hope this works,'_ he added darkly in his mind.

Vitesse dodged the Aura Sphere again, glancing at her trainer with some question before she looked down at the floor, seeing the damaged tiles as well. She was able to quickly discern Mark's plan as she noticed a particularly loose one by her foot. Stomping on it, she flipped the stone tile up, grabbed it, and just in time ducked out of the path of the Aura Sphere again as it made its next run at her. With that dodge, she leapt in the opposite direction, trying to get a safe distance before hurling the tile at the sphere just as it began to turn around.

The tile successfully blocked the sphere and exploded upon the energy ball slamming into it. Randy gawked in disbelief as the supposedly unavoidable Aura Sphere was stopped, by a mere chunk of stone. _'Time for the trump card!'_ Mark thought before he called to Vitesse. "Flare Blitz!"

Randy's reaction was sluggish, too distracted by what he had seen. Vitesse's whole body ignited with searing flames, launching herself at the Lucario, who was unable to avoid in time. Cairo braced himself as she slammed into him, the Fire-type move inflicting extensive damage before sending him flying backward, hitting the floor and sliding across the stone as if it were snow, the metal spikes on the back of his paws generating sparks as they ground against the tilework.

When the flames abated from Vitesse's body, she fell to one knee again, panting for breath. Flare Blitz was the strongest attack she knew, but it had its price –the move was so powerful, it sent some of the damage inflicted on the opponent right back at the user. Mark could see his trusted partner was almost at her limit, but he was certain they had at least defeated Cairo...

His heart skipped a beat as he heard the Lucario growl, both he and Vitesse turning to stare incredulously as the injured Fighting/Steel-type started to move again, rolling over onto his front and placing his paws onto the floor, using them to raise himself up until he could put his feet under him. They both stood, frozen, as the Lucario shakily raised himself up to stand at his full height again, and flinched as he glared over his shoulder at them, his red eyes filled with a burning determination to finish the fight...

"I don't believe it..." Mark whispered. "He actually withstood that?"

"Cairo, you freakin' rule!" Randy called, pumping his fist in the air. "Let's finish this!"

Mark looked at Vitesse, staring at her and noticing how she was shaking. It wasn't from anticipation, either; she was at her limit and would soon not be able to fight anymore. Even if she could beat Cairo now, she would never be able to handle Randy's remaining Pokémon in her condition. But the battle still wasn't over, even if it was clear how it was going to end...

"Alright, Randy," Mark called out to his opponent, ready to see the battle through. "This battle ends now one way or another; one more Blaze Kick!"

"Use Reversal!" Randy commanded his Lucario.

Cairo and Vitesse charged one another, unleashing the final attacks as ordered by their trainers. Time seemed to slow down all around him as Mark watched, staring with glazed eyes at the imminent clash. Cairo's paws glowed, Vitesse's feet ignited. The two of them simultaneously jumped as they neared; Vitesse spun, leg outstretched, Cairo lunged, thrusting with both paws...

The midair collision was like a midair sonic boom; their limbs collided, but only Vitesse was sent flying. All of the damage she had inflicted upon Cairo with her Flare Blitz was sent right back at her with Reversal. The Blaziken spun through open air, slamming into a pillar with bone jarring force, her eyes going wide with shock as the impact stunned her.

And then, just like that, she devolved, her mega evolution disappearing and returning Vitesse to the form of an ordinary Blaziken. She fell slowly forward, nothing but floor beneath her as gravity peeled her from the stone pillar. Spurred on by instinct, Mark ran towards her as she started to fall, holding out his arms and catching her before she hit the floor, grunting as he felt her weight across his arms, standing firm. Slowly and carefully, he lowered her down to the floor, turning her over and pulling her into a seating position against the column.

Her eyes had been closed when he braced her against the pillar, but they opened once he folded her talons across her lap, turning her gaze towards her trainer. He heard a raspy cooing from her, alerting the trainer that his Pokémon was still conscious. Mark met her gaze, seeing the look in her eyes; she was disappointed, but not with him. With herself, for failing to keep the title of Champion that the two of them had worked so hard to achieve...

Mark gave her a weak smile, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, girl," he said softly, moving that hand to rub her neck. She shut her eyes at his touch, cooing again as she felt his fingers massage her neck through her feathers. "You did great; never believe otherwise. Even if we lost, to me you're still the best there is."

Reluctantly, he lifted his hand from her neck, reaching into his vest and pulling out a pair of Sitrus Berries from the inner pocket, which he placed into her talon. "Now, eat those when you can and rest here for a bit," he instructed as he returned to his feet. "I'll be right back."

While Mark silently lamented this loss, Randy and Cairo were practically dancing for joy at their victory over Vitesse. They did not even know the battle was over but in all of the adrenaline produced by the epic clash, they could not sit still with their excitement. Randy almost poked himself with the Lucario's metallic chest spike as he gleefully hugged his Pokémon partner, letting out an 'ow' when he felt the prick of it.

"Randy," Mark stated, to get the other trainer's attention.

At the sound of his name being called, Randy paused, both he and Cairo turning to look at Mark. They quickly collected themselves, facing him. "Right, we're not done yet are we?" The challenging trainer asked.

Mark shook his head. "No, we are," he returned. "This battle is over; you won."

"Wha-?" Randy gawked. "But you only used five Pokémon; you should still have one left, right?"

Mark looked down at his chest, reaching up with one hand to pull open the flap of his vest to the holster that held his Poké Balls, eyeing the one at the bottom right of the stack, which did indeed still hold one; a newborn Charmander. Such a youngling wouldn't stand a chance against Cairo; it had only just come into the world a short time ago and was not yet trained to battle. He wasn't about to let a poor newborn get beaten to a pulp for the sake of his pride...

He let the flap of his vest fall back against his chest, and shook his head again. "No, I don't," he lied. "That's all there was." He forced a smile, fighting back his disappointment as he showed his good sportsmanship. "Congratulations; Randy Calvin. You are now the new Hoenn Champion."

Randy and Cairo looked at one another, large grins creeping across their faces before they both leapt into the air, pumping their fists vigorously as they announced to the world their victory through a mighty cheer. " _Oh_ yeah!" Randy bellowed. "We made it!"

"There's just one last act as Champion I have to do," Mark stated. "And that is to officially cede the title to you." He turned on his heel, pointing to the stairs at the other end of the room. "Follow me to the Hall of Fame."

"You got it," returned Randy, letting Mark lead as he looked down at Cairo. "Come on boy; you deserve to walk with me for this."

 _"_ _Ar!"_ Cairo returned, nodding to his trainer.

Following Mark's lead, trainer and Pokémon marched proudly up the stairs that led to the final door of the Pokémon League, feeling their hearts beating strong as Mark pushed open the doors and led them through into a room of white, mostly empty except for a huge computer terminal at the very center of the room. The walls were lined with portraits of champions of the past, from the very first all the way to its current one, Mark, showing him in a picture with only five Pokémon.

"You really beat the League with only five?" Randy asked, staring at Mark's portrait in wonder as they crossed the room.

"I did," replied Mark. "I never needed any others but the ones I had; they always did right by me, from the eight gym leaders all the way to the Elite Four." He looked back over his shoulder, staring past Randy and Cairo. "Especially Vitesse. Without her, I never would have made it this far."

Randy nodded in understanding, he and Cairo sharing a proud smile with one another, until Mark led them up to the computer terminal in the middle of the room. "Here we are," the blond-haired trainer stated, stepping aside and gesturing with his hand to six empty slots on the console, each one large enough to hold a Poké Ball. "Place each of your Poké Balls into those slots, and stand before the monitor in any pose you like. It'll do the rest." Tucking his hands into his pockets, Mark turned and began to walk, slowly, back to the exit. "Good luck to you."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Randy asked, surprised.

"There's no reason to stay anymore," Mark returned. "Once you are registered on that computer, my title as Champion officially becomes yours. You don't need me for that." His gaze lowered, although Randy couldn't see his face. "This is no longer _my_ hall, and my partner needs me now."

As he took another step forward, Randy spoke again. "Mark," he said, causing the trainer to stop. "Let's battle again sometime, eh? You were a damn good opponent."

Mark couldn't hold back his smile at that, and turned to look back on Randy, wearing it proudly. "Sure thing," he said.

With that, Randy turned back to the console again, placing each of his Poké Balls into the slots, the last one being Cairo whom he had to recall first in order to do so, and stepped back to stare at the monitor, letting it capture his image, posing with one foot forward and holding an empty Poké Ball in his hand for effect. He watched as an image of his six Pokémon appeared in wire frame on the screen, before each one filled with colour, giving face to his team. From left to right, a Salamence, Starmie, Zoroark, Zangoose, Sceptile and finally a Lucario appeared on the image.

A seventh wire frame formed. As it filled with colour, it took on the likeness of Randy, standing just as he had when the monitor scanned him, wearing a grin and standing proud in front of his team with uncanny likeness to the real thing. Finally, words in bright gold appeared on the screen on the bottom. ' _Welcome, new Champion of Hoenn',_ they read. A clicking caught his ear; he looked over at the wall, seeing the various digital portraits rearranging themselves as Randy's began to form, forcing Mark's to move over a little to make room.

It was then out of the corner of his eye that Randy noticed he was alone in the Hall...

* * *

The front doors slid open with a hiss as they sensed the approach of the Ex-Champion and the Blaziken that marched at his side. He barely heard the doors shut behind him as they walked, down to the stone-tiled path below the stairs and towards the tall, grand arches standing above the main path to Victory Road, leaving the Hoenn Pokémon League behind for what would probably be the last time they would see it again.

Mark stopped only once, under the first of the arches, and turned to look over his shoulder at the old, Edo-period styled building where the greatest trainers in Hoenn dwelt, awaiting challengers near and far to enter the building and challenge them. Allowing himself a moment of melancholy, Mark looked back on when he had first seen this place, after collecting his eighth badge at Sootopolis, challenging Victory Road for the right to come here, and his battles with the Elite Four.

Hard-fought and taxing, Mark had been pushed to the very limits of his abilities battling the four top trainers of Hoenn, stronger than any of the Gym Leaders, yet he prevailed against each one of them, earning himself the right to face the Champion, Steven Stone. He remembered the proud swell of his heart, and the overflowing joy filling it when Vitesse had narrowly seized victory against Steven's mighty Metagross, the last obstacle between them, and the Championship.

He had grown so accustomed to this place that he never thought he'd miss it whenever he left. He had been the greatest trainer in Hoenn for almost a year, and now the right to be called that belonged to someone else. ' _I guess there's a lesson to be learned from this,'_ he thought. ' _That no matter how strong you get, there will always be at least one challenger out there who will prove your better. Randy may one day find that out for himself.'_

It was arrogant to believe that in an ever-expanding world of Pokémon and Trainers, he alone could stand against the rising tide of ambition and ideals. Though Mark was still one of Hoenn's greatest trainers, he had found his better. And yet... he felt oddly at peace with it, even with the lingering disappointment of defeat.

He turned his head to look at Vitesse, who met his gaze. She shared all of his thoughts, knowing what he was thinking as though they were telepathically linked, and she felt what he felt. She had been by his side since the very beginning, shared all of his trials with him and discovered the limits of their abilities as a team. Now, she shared this moment of soul-searching, as Mark accepted the fact that he was now once more just another Hoenn Pokémon Trainer.

With a long sigh, he turned his back on the Hoenn League for the last time. "Come on, girl. Let's go home," were his final words before he resumed walking down the stone path.

He did not look back again...


	2. Chapter 1

The sound of his phone ringing had awoken Mark from a restful nap on the couch, rousing him from his reminiscent dream. With a long groan of annoyance, he sat up from the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before he rose to his feet and trudged over to the video phone hanging up on his wall, trying to make himself presentable before he picked up the receiver and the screen lit up to reveal the face of his caller.

Even through a half-lidded gaze, he quickly recognized the face of Professor Birch, distinguished by his portly physique and the fine-trimmed brown beard that grew along his jaw line, starting at the chin and extending up to a pair of sideburns that made the beard appear to be part of his hair.

 _"Mark Taylor! It's been a long time, hasn't it?"_ The professor asked.

"Professor Birch; yes it has been," Mark returned, stifling a yawn. "Sorry; I just woke up from a nap."

 _"Oops! Did I wake you?"_ Birch asked.

"Don't worry about it," Mark assured. "How are you, professor?"

 _"I'm quite well,"_ Birch replied. _"How about you?"_

"I'm... enjoying my retirement, I guess," Mark replied, sighing.

 _"Retirement? You're not thinking of going on another journey?"_

"Well much as I'd love to, I honestly don't know what to do," Mark returned, sighing. "And it bugs me because my Pokémon are getting restless; I can tell they want to start travelling again but I'm just not sure where to go. I've been to every corner of Hoenn and back –twice. There's nothing else for me to see here."

 _"I'm afraid I couldn't help you there,"_ replied Birch. _"My own trainer days have been and gone, unfortunately. I must admit, when I heard you lost the Championship so soon –sorry to bring that up- I was rather surprised."_

"I was ill-prepared for Randy's rather deceptive tactics," Mark returned. "But, it was a legitimate win on his part; I don't regret it." He shook his head. "Anyway, Professor; what can I do for you?"

 _"I'm glad you asked,"_ Birch replied. _"When last I spoke with you, you had a Steelix, correct?"_

"You mean Tanker," Mark verified. "Yes. What about him?"

 _"I just wanted to know if, by chance, you had a Steelixite –a mega stone for Steelix,"_ Birch replied.

"I do, actually," Mark replied, turning away and angling the phone's camera towards a glass case on the wall, inside of which two shiny stones were mounted against the back, while a leather bracelet imbedded with a keystone rested below the, wrapped around a plastic stand. "It's the only other mega stone I've found, in fact, aside from Vitesse's."

 _"Ah, wonderful!"_ A voice exclaimed from behind Birch.

Mark looked at the video screen at the sound of the unknown voice, arching an eyebrow. "Who was that?"

 _"Oh, sorry,"_ Birch replied, stifling a laugh. _"I was actually calling you to ask on behalf of an associate of mine from the Kalos Region."_ At that, Birch began to step out of sight from the camera. _"Augustine; come over here."_

A few seconds later, a thinner, taller man sat down in front of the video, with unkempt black hair, rather thick eyebrows and striking blue eyes, wearing a pleasant smile on his face as he regarded Mark. _"So, we finally get to meet, Mr. Taylor. I've heard much about you."_

"The pleasure's mine, sir," Mark replied. "Unless I'm wrong, you're Professor Augustine Sycamore, aren't you?"

The man's smile faded slightly as he eyed Mark with a questioning glance. _"Why yes; how did you know?"_

"I've read some of your publications regarding Mega Evolution," Mark replied. "Those notes about the Mega Stones and how the Pokémon they're meant for can sense them are how I identified the Steelixite –Tanker sensed it from inside his Poké Ball and then popped out, leading me right to it."

 _"Ah, I see,"_ Sycamore returned, nodding in approval. _"Well done."_ He cleared his throat. _"Anyway, I actually have a favor to ask of you, Mr. Taylor."_

"Please; you can call me Mark."

 _"Okay, Mark,"_ returned Sycamore. _"I'm currently running a temporary lab near Mauville City. The purpose of my work here in Hoenn is in regards to the Mega Stones discovered here in recent years. You may well know, when those stones were discovered, so were entirely new Pokémon with the ability to Mega Evolve."_

"I believe I heard about that," Mark returned, before allowing Sycamore to continue.

 _"Well although my research is dedicated to understanding Mega Evolution I have yet to actually see any of the evolutions of these new species, such as that of Steelix,"_ Sycamore carried on. _"So, that's why I asked Professor Birch if he knew anyone who possessed one of these amazing Pokémon."_

Mark arched an eyebrow. "So you want me to bring Tanker to you so you can see the Mega Evolution for yourself?" He asked, deliberating on the professor's request. It wasn't like he was doing anything else today, and he had to head to Mauville to do some shopping in the near future though nothing said he couldn't do it now. It wouldn't be an inconvenience. With a shrug, he said. "Why not? I had to go to Mauville anyway, so I'll stop by."

 _"Marvelous!"_ Sycamore chimed. _"I look forward to your visit, Mr. –er, Mark."_

"Where is the lab located?"

At that question, Professor Birch stepped back into view. _"You know where the New Mauville project is located, correct?"_ He asked. _"The laboratory is set up on the cliff above the access tunnel leading there. Look for a white modular unit and a large aluminium structure; that will be it."_

"Got it," Mark said with a firm nod, picturing the location in his head; he hadn't been near New Mauville in quite a while, but he knew where it was. The lab would not be hard to find in that area as New Mauville was only a short trip from the city and, by Birch's description, would probably stand out against all of the nature in that area. "I'll see you soon."

With that, they said goodbye, and the screen went black as Mark placed the receiver back in the cradle, stepping away from the phone. Turning from it, he made his way across the room to the case with the stones, fishing the keys out of his pocket and sorting through them one at a time until he found the correct one with which he unlocked the case and retrieved the Steelixite from its mount, pocketing it and then taking the leather bracelet with the keystone, which he slipped over his hand and fastened to his wrist.

 _'Just one thing I still need,'_ he thought as he turned his attention to door leading out into the foyer.

Mark exited the living room, turning right and approaching the closet next to the front door, which he slid open and reached up for the pullstring to turn on the light, illuminating the inside. The closet was pretty much empty except for his favorite vest, a pair of boots and two leather belts hanging on the wall at the back. One of those belts was the harness in which he kept Vitesse's mega stone when they went out into the field. The other one, obviously meant for Tanker, was more than three times as large as Vitesse's.

Mark reached in and lifted the larger belt from off the wall, along with his vest, and put on the latter before he turned to look up the hallway. "Vitesse!" He called, but there was no answer from the Blaziken, at which Mark hummed curiously. "She must be outside," he decided before adjusting his vest and turning to the front door.

He stepped through the inside and outer screen doors and out onto the deck of his modular home, hopping over the four steps that led the ground and tucking his hands into his pockets as he stepped out into his yard. The sound of his footsteps caught some attention, as he heard a familiar barking sound, and turned to look up at the porch towards the large doghouse on the deck, out of which stepped a Mightyena. "Morning, Fang," Mark bade.

Fang shook himself as he emerged out into daylight, raising his backside and flattening out his front as he stretched, yawning loudly. As Mark started to walk, the Mightyena eagerly dashed down the steps and trotted up to walk at his side, padding along quietly and raising his head up for Mark to scratch him behind the ear. "Seen anybody this morning?"

Fang whined in response, reminding Mark that he had only just woken up. "Oh right, sorry," the trainer said, going back to looking around the property. "I guess Vitesse's out jogging around the ridge; usually what she does in the morning." Cupping his hands around his mouth, he called out another name. "Tanker!"

They did not have to wait long before they felt a mild tremor through the ground, hearing a grinding noise echoing from nearby, like something massive dragging itself across the soil. Following the sound, Mark looked over by the barn, a short wait revealing a massive Steelix coming around from behind the structure, making its way over to Mark and lowering its head as it neared, letting Mark reach out to stroke its jaw and look into its two red eyes.

"Hey big guy," Mark greeted. "We just got a call from one of the brains of Kalos; feel like going for a road trip?"

The Steelix rumbled in reply, the sound emanating from his throat reminiscent of a train engine and making Mark's ears ache from its pitch. "I'll assume that's a yes," he said, rubbing his ear. _'Can never get used to how loud you are, big fella,'_ he thought as he reached into his vest, finding Tanker's Poké Ball and holding it up to him. "Alright, let's go," he said before tapping the ball against Tanker's nose.

The ball opened, and the massive Steelix dematerialized, converting into a red energy form that was drawn into the ball, which clapped shut as the last of the energy was drawn inside. With that, he returned the ball to the inside of his vest, shrinking it down before putting it into its holster.

Mark turned his gaze down to Fang, who was sitting patiently at his side. "You want to come too, boy?" He asked, receiving a happy bark in reply. "Alright then," Mark returned, turning on his heel once again to head for the pickup truck parked by his house.

Heading around to the passenger side first, he let Fang jump into the vehicle, before walking around to climbing in the driver's side, starting up the engine and rolling out from the parking spot, heading making a right towards the dirt road leading off the property. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark spotted movement. It was Vitesse, running to meet him. He applied pressure to the brake, bringing the truck to a stop, and rolled down the window as she approached.

"Good morning, Vitesse," Mark bade his Pokémon. "Fang, Tanker and I are just headed to Mauville for a little while; we'll be back with dinner. Keep an eye on the place while we're gone, okay?"

The Blaziken nodded in reply, and leaned forward to let Mark pet her crest before he put the truck back into drive and resumed his trek, leaving her to watch them as they proceeded down the hill towards the main road. Once they were off the dirt and onto the pavement, she turned and headed over to the house to wait inside for them.

* * *

From the desert area of Hoenn, to the oddly designed city of Mauville along Route 11; the drastic change in scenery always muddled the Ex-Champion a little, to be one minute in a sandy wasteland, the next along open plains before finally coming to what, to him, was Hoenn's most unusual community; an entire city, built inside of a single larger than life structure like some sort of western Mega Mall, only several times larger, home to almost a hundred thousand people.

Mark often wondered what the apartments in Mauville were like and what drew people to them, but he had always been fonder of the countryside, choosing to live there instead of in the city. Besides, in such a crowded place, larger Pokemon like Tanker could never live there; he'd have to leave them somewhere, and that just was not something he was willing to do.

Having now arrived, Mark had the decision to make of whether to visit Professor Sycamore first, or go take care of his shopping. He had promised to be at the lab within an hour, but already half of that time had passed on the trip to Mauville. It was unlikely the shopping would take him very long; he only needed to pick up some food for his Pokémon, and his usual stop for those items wasn't far from the entrance he was close to.

Eventually, he shrugged. "I'll get the groceries first," he said, before he started heading towards the city entrance, with Fang padding along at his side, his long nails clicking on the paved ground and, soon, the tiled floors of Mauville's 'streets' when they entered the city.

Along the way, they walked around a crowd that had gathered in front of a massive television just outside the square, staring at it in awe. He would have kept going, if he had not heard someone mention the word Champion, which caught his ear and stopped him dead in his tracks. Immediately, he turned around, and rushed over to the back of the gathering, staring over them towards the television at the battle it was broadcasting, with an announcer detailing the battle through the speakers; it seemed this battle was live instead of private like Mark's own battle with Randy had been.

Randy's opponent was a young man in a red shirt with a black 'T' on the front of it, and black jeans. Upon his head he wore a white hat with a black band resting above the brow, with black –maybe brown hair, peeking out from underneath. The Pokémon he had just used was a Mega-evolved Swampert; Mark had arrived in time to see it knocked down by Randy's Sceptile –no surprise as it had a double advantage over the Water/Ground-type Swampert, not to mention being notoriously faster- and devolved back to its regular form.

 _"The Swampert is down!"_ The broadcaster announced. _"The remaining Pokémon count is two to one; the battle has become one sided! People of Hoenn, it looks like once more our reigning champion, Randy Calvin, is set to seize another victory from his latest challenger!"_

The challenging trainer recalled his Swampert to its Poké Ball, looking at it blankly for a moment before placing it back onto his belt. Bringing his hand back out, he was clenching another Poké Ball in his palm; an Ultra Ball, identified by its distinctive black top with a yellow 'U' painted over. Mark and the gathered crowd watched with intense awe as the trainer cast the ball forward, and his final Pokémon was revealed.

Even Mark was awestruck when the gigantic red behemoth emerged from the ball, casting a shadow over Thorn as it stood tall over him and unleashed a roar that brought static to the television speakers. The Pokémon had a body covered in red, segmented skin plates resembling armour all the way down its back, as well as a mask-like plating over its face, with a crest of four fins on top. Its sides were covered in thick spikes, and it had a long, heavy flat tail ending in four dozer like blades, and its short yet powerful arms each ended in four claws.

"Is that what I think it is?" Someone in the crowd demanded.

"How the hell did he catch that?!" Another chimed in.

Mark's jaw was hanging open in utter disbelief as he mouthed the name of the Pokémon –the only one that this awesome yet terrifying beast could possibly be...

"Groudon _._ "

 _"People of Hoenn, this is a shocker! Our challenger's final Pokémon is the Legendary Ground-type Groudon! I don't know where our new Champion-hopeful found such a creature, but will it be enough to defeat our reigning champ's Mega Sceptile?"_

The battle began, with Groudon lunging forward to attack Thorn with its mighty fist; the clumsy giant did not even come close to landing the blow as Thorn banked out of the way, running to the side and avoiding the Hammer Arm attack. Thorn dropped to all fours, counter-attacking with a Seed Bomb barrage that assailed Groudon repeatedly with a Grass-type attack; a weakness to a Ground-type like Groudon.

Unfortunately for Thorn, it took much more than that to stop this giant; Groudon turned on him and at its trainers call, raised both claws high over its head, both of which were suddenly surrounded by floating stones, covering them from the tip to the root of the claw, creating stone blades around them, unleashing its infamous Precipice Blades.

It swiped both claws at Thorn, missing the first when Thorn jumped over it, but the second attack struck him and sent him flying through air, disappearing off-screen from the camera. Thorn reappeared a moment later to rejoin the battle, trading attacks with Groudon again and again, and though he was clearly hurting Groudon, he wasn't stopping him, and was quickly becoming tired as the battle raged on.

Finally, Thorn's luck ran out, for although Groudon was a Ground-type, it was also known to specialize in several Fire-type moves, one of which it finally unleashed as Thorn was using Frenzy Plant, sending dozens of thick, thorny vines to assail the giant and hopefully finish off the Legendary Pokémon, Groudon unleashed a mighty Lava Plume attack, not only incinerating the vines but catching Thorn in the blast as well, as the room across which the television screen could reveal became ablaze with red-hot fire.

The heat was so intense that the camera feed was lost; the screen became snowy and crackling irritably, until it switched to a blank white screen and fell silent, replaced with text reading 'Please excuse our technical difficulties'.

The audience broke into a fit of complaint, cursing at the television as if it were to blame for stopping them from seeing the battle's conclusion –although, at least to Mark, the outcome seemed obvious.

Randy had lost...

The crowd began to disperse, leaving Mark standing alone in the middle of the corridor, with a curious Fang sitting down next to him, staring up at his trainer as Mark stared up at the television blankly as if waiting for the feed to come back. Finally, his head slumped, his gaze falling to the floor and fists tightening.

"So now even Randy lost," he said. "The very same guy who beat me -who took my champion title, beaten only a few months later?"

It angered him... he did not understand why- he had come to terms with that defeat long ago, but knowing that Randy had been defeated as well upset Mark in a way he had never felt before. He had fought hard, journeying across Hoenn for more than a year, collecting badges and training his Pokémon to reach the peak of their strength; he had raised them well, faced challenges with them at his side, defeating trainers and Gym Leaders along a long, treacherous road, until he had finally reached the Pokémon League himself.

He had battled the Elite Four, defeating them one by one, and even came face-to-face with the Champion, Steven, easily his toughest opponent ever at the time, and yet Mark had still triumphed. He had earned the right to the title of Champion. Until Randy arrived, merely ten months later, and soundly defeated him, losing only half of his Pokémon while exhausting the five Mark had carried.

' _What does it all mean?'_ Mark thought, feeling a sense of doubt welling up inside of him to mix with his frustration, his fingers tightening into fists and causing his knuckles to crack noticeably. ' _Was my becoming Champion... just a fluke? Was I just a fraud all along?'_

Fang could sense Mark's turmoil, whining at him and rearing up to lick Mark's shaking fist, showing tenderness in an effort to try and alleviate his trainer's anger. At that, Mark's hand loosened, unclenching and letting his fingers hang low. He turned to look down at Fang, seeing the sullen look on the Mightyena's features as their eyes met.

Letting out a long sigh, Mark knelt down, placing his hand on the back of Fang's neck and stroking the mane of black fur running along his back. "I'm sorry boy," he said, softly. "I'll be okay, really."

Mark couldn't tell if the Mightyena believed him or not, but Fang leaned forward to bump Mark's cheek with his snout, dampening his face with that cold nose of his. Mark continued to pet him for a moment as he collected himself, remembering what he was there to do, and standing up once more. He tucked his hands into his pockets, sighing again. "Come on," he said in a barely audible mutter, before he continued down the corridor away from the white-screened television.

* * *

Mark's shopping had taken longer than he had intended; so slowed down and distracted by the television broadcast he had seen. By the time he realized what time it was he was already late to get to Professor Sycamore's lab; snapping out of his melancholy at last he half-ran out of Mauville with all of his groceries in hand, dumping them into the back of his truck before he and Fang hopped back in and left the parking area.

Circling around the city he found the side road leading to New Mauville; as the project had been abandoned years ago, the road was largely overgrown, but crushed weeds and dirt tracks in the foliage were sure signs that the road was in use again –albeit it was still really bumpy.

Shortly, he saw a modular building further ahead, sharing a lot by the woods with a couple of cars, a large satellite dish, a diesel-fueled generator at its side, which was currently active, and a large aluminium structure near the treeline, also with a generator. Mark pulled his truck up alongside the cars, shutting off the engine before he stepped out, followed by Fang.

"We're in the right area; this must be the place," Mark stated, looking around before he raised a hand to his mouth to concentrate his voice. "Hello! Professor Sycamore? Professor Birch? Is anyone here?"

The door to the modular opened, and through it stepped Professor Birch. "Mark! There you are," he called, and looked down as Fang approached to sniff his leg. "Hello there, Mightyena," he bade as he knelt down and let Fang smell his hand.

"Sorry I'm late," the trainer apologized as he approached Professor Birch, who stood up from Fang and shook hands with the trainer. "I uh... got a bit held up at Mauville."

"That's fine; we were still setting up the equipment for the test," Birch assured. "I just came out here to make some coffee; can I offer you any?"

"Sure; I'll take a cup," Mark accepted. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," replied Birch, leading the way back into the trailer, holding the door open for Mark to follow him inside, with Fang right on their heels.

Entering a foyer, Mark removed his shoes and followed the professor into the kitchenette of the trailer, where they proceeded over to the coffee pot on the counter. As Birch retrieved cups from the cupboard, he asked, "How do you prefer your coffee?"

"Two cream and sugar, please," Mark replied.

"Coming right up," Birch replied.

As Mark found a chair to sit in and waited, Fang lying down on the floor next to him, he voiced a question of his own. "So, I was wondering, Professor," he began. "Why are you working with Professor Sycamore on his Mega Evolution research? I thought your field was in Pokémon Habitation?"

"Yes that's true," began Birch. "But Augustine invited me on his project here in Hoenn because he needed someone who knew the Pokémon of the region to help him. Besides, understanding Pokémon Habitat is a big part in understanding the Pokémon themselves, wouldn't you say?"

Mark nodded. "I guess that's a good point," he said. "Sorry if I sounded like I was prying; I just wasn't sure how your work cooperated, but I guess that clears it up."

"Any science can be relevant to another, my friend," Birch returned as he finished mixing Mark's coffee and his own, crossing the room with the cups in hand and passed one to him, chuckling. "Quite profound that; I better make sure I write that down."

Mark chuckled heartily, accepting the cup from Birch with a gratuitous nod. "Brilliant, Professor," he said, the two of them sharing the laughter.

"Am I missing out on a jolly moment?"

The two turned towards the voice as Professor Sycamore entered the modular, climbing in through the door and greeting them with a wave. "Hello, Mark," he bade. "Finally we get to meet in person."

"Good afternoon, professor," Mark replied.

"Coffee's ready, Augustine; hot off the pot," said Birch, gesturing to the counter. "Already poured you one, but I didn't know how you liked it so I just left it."

"Quite alright, Birch," returned Sycamore as he headed over to retrieve the cup, adding a pouch of sugar and two spoonful of cream to it before mixing them together. He then blew on it before he proceeded to take a sip. "A fine grind; Hoenn grows some tasty coffee beans," he said before turning to the two, leaning against the counter. "Anyway, Mark. I'm glad you could make it out here on such short notice."

Leaning back in his chair, Mark gave the professor a dismissive wave with his free hand. "It's no problem," he assured. "It's not like I'm really doing anything these days. I was also a little late getting here."

"Oh? Why is that?" Sycamore inquired.

"Well," Mark began, frowning. "I got distracted by a live broadcast while I was shopping." Sensing his returning turmoil, Fang stood up slowly, looking up at his trainer with flattened ears. Mark reached down and gently stroked Fang's neck as he carried on. "It was a battle, between Randy and this other trainer; I think they said his name was Brendan."

Birch's eyes lit up slightly at the name. "You said Brendan?" He asked, receiving a nod from Mark. "I know him."

"You do?"

"He's from Littleroot Town as well; went on his journey a couple of years before you did, and became an exceptional Pokémon Trainer," replied Birch. "He's also Norman's son."

This time it was Mark's turn to react. "Norman? The Petalburg Gym leader?"

"The very same," replied Birch. "Brendan and my daughter May began their respective Pokémon journey's at the same time, in fact."

"I never met Brendan before," Mark commented. "Norman's son, huh?" He asked, staring into his coffee cup for a moment before he sipped some of the bitter brown liquid. "The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree," he commented, reminiscing the day that he had faced off against Norman himself to obtain the Plain Badge, and how the Normal-type gym leader had proven to be a strong opponent when he had nearly pushed Mark to the brink of defeat. Back then, Vitesse had still been a Combusken, and only through her Fighting-type moves and speed had he been able to win his fourth badge.

Somehow, learning who Brendan was didn't exactly alleviate his disdain about the results of the battle, but he let Birch carry on with his story. "Brendan actually became the Champion for a while, and after that May unfortunately gave up trying to be a Pokémon Trainer, instead focusing on being a performer in the Pokémon Showcase. Not that I don't approve, mind you; I'm proud of my daughter." Clearing his throat and finding a chair of his own to sit down, he looked at Mark. "Tell me, how did the match go?"

"Unfortunately, I didn't get to see all of it," Mark replied. "During the match, Brendan called out the Legendary Pokémon, Groudon, and then it used Eruption and, I guess it fried the cameras because the feed went dead after. I don't know for certain, but it sure looked like Randy lost."

"How unfortunate," Sycamore commented. "Well, you know the current Champion, don't you? Having faced him yourself, do you think there is any chance he won?"

Mark's gaze lowered. "I doubt it, honestly," he replied. "Not even Randy could beat a Legendary Pokémon as powerful as Groudon. Thorn would have been his best chance, and that's who I saw fighting him, but that Eruption attack, even without a weakness to fire, would've been the end of it for Thorn."

"So it's quite possible Hoenn has another returning Champion," Birch stated.

Mark grimaced. "Yeah... seems so," he said as he took another long sip of his coffee, nearly finishing it off as he continued to pet Fang, deciding the change the subject when he looked at Professor Sycamore. "So, this test you want to perform with Tanker; what exactly will it entail?"

"Mostly I want to just monitor the changes in energy and anatomy of your Steelix," Sycamore explained. "I promise it won't be anything intrusive or that might put your Pokémon in any danger."

With only a moment of thought, Mark eventually nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll show you Tanker's Mega Evolution."

"Wonderful!" Sycamore chimed, holding up his arms in triumph. "My friend, I cannot thank you enough!"

"You spilled your coffee," Mark pointed out, finishing off the last of his own.

Sycamore looked into his cup, noticing that the contents had indeed gone down since he had last looked at it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a brown splatter on the floor, and flushed with embarrassment. "Oh my," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "My apologies, Mark; I guess I got a little carried away."

Birch was only snickering at Sycamore's careless excitement. "Next time you express your joy, Augustine, you may want to put down your cup first."

"My thoughts exactly," Mark agreed, and both he and Birch shared a laugh at Sycamore's expense, while the Kalos Professor retrieved some paper towel to clean up the mess he'd made.

* * *

Upon relocating to the large aluminium structure at the other end of the lot, Mark let Tanker out of his Poké Ball, leading him through a large set of doors into the building. Some more equipment had to be moved in order to make room for the giant Steelix, who struggled to keep his head down so that he did not gouge the ceiling with the ridges on his skull, but it was difficult without his large head bumping something else.

"Maybe we should do this outside," Birch suggested. "I've heard some Pokémon get bigger when they Mega Evolve, and Tanker barely fits in here already."

"I agree," Sycamore returned. "I can't move _all_ of the equipment outdoors but maybe I can move some of the scanners if we bring the other generator over here."

"I can get it," offered Mark. "How do I power down the trailer?"

"There should be a breaker box over on the left side," replied Birch. "Flip the switch down, then it should be safe to disconnect the generator."

"I'm on it," returned Mark, looking up at Tanker. "Wait here big fella."

Tanker rumbled in response, watching as his trainer jogged out of the building and headed back towards the modular unit, with Fang trotting along at his side once more.

While Sycamore and Birch worked on moving some of the necessary equipment out of the lab, Mark found the breaker that Birch had described, opening it up and pulling the switch down to cut power to the trailer, before he turned his attention to the generator, using the instructions written on a sticker on its side to disconnect it from the modular. When he was done, he walked around to the front of it, hoisting it up the front and rolling it over to the lab.

Tanker was ushered back out of the building again by Sycamore, and the necessary monitoring equipment was hooked up to the extra generator, powering them up. Waiting for the equipment to reboot, Mark further assisted the professor by repositioning a couple of scanners to strategic locations to cover as much of the area around Tanker as possible, until finally everything was ready.

"All systems go," Sycamore stated. "Mark, you may proceed."

The trainer, standing directly in front of his Pokémon at a minimum distance so that he was out of range of the scanners, looked up at Tanker, both Pokémon and trainer nodding their heads to one another before Mark raised the arm on which he wore his bracelet. "Okay, Tanker," he said. "Mega Evolve."

Touching the keystone housed in his bracelet, both it and the Steelixite worn around Tanker's neck began to glow. A rainbow-pattern of glowing colours enveloped Tanker's body, and a violet, crystalline sphere formed around him like a chrysalis, engulfing the giant Steel-type as he ascended beyond evolution.

"Power levels increasing," Sycamore informed, looking up from the console in front of him with awe as he waited for Tanker to assume his ultimate form, eager to know what would emerge from that sphere...

The crystal shattered, the light dispersed, and Tanker's mega evolved form was revealed. The first noticeable change was actually his head; it had expanded, becoming more heavily armours and rounded to a sharp, curved shape, with the lower left and right portions of his jaw sporting three conjoined protrusions, almost like blades, from them. His eyes had turned from red to a medium blue colour, and the ridges above his eyes, forming over the top of his head, had become sharper and more pronounced.

The rest of his body had become denser, and the metal spikes protruding from the upper, middle and end of his body –including the tip of his tail, were replaced with prismatic crystalline spikes that were much denser. But the largest change of all were the metallic scraps that seemed to be floating around his neck in a ring pattern, as if caught in some unnatural, gravitational field like the asteroid belt of an alien planet, but reacting to his movements accordingly –if he lowered his head, they moved closer, never once touching the ground, but if he raised himself higher, they spread out again.

Sycamore had not even turned his attention back to the console as his eyes took in the sight of a Mega Steelix for the very first time, his heart aflutter with excitement and his mind swimming with new theories and realizations. " _Merveilleux_ ; astounding!" He chimed, finally looking at the console to check the readings. "So much power, and such drastic change! It is like another Pokémon entirely!"

Sycamore's glee, even with having seen Mega Evolutions before, was nowhere near the bewilderment on Professor Birch's face as he witnessed the Mega Evolution himself, staring at Tanker's new form so intensely that if his eyes had opened any wider they might have popped out of their sockets. He had not seen as many Mega Evolutions as Sycamore had, though to say he wasn't just as amazed by them would be giving him too little credit.

"Mark, this is truly a whole new step in understanding mega evolution," Sycamore called, beckoning Mark over to him to show him the console. Although Mark couldn't understand what all of the flashing lights and other nick-nacks meant, not being very tech-savvy, Sycamore's explanation helped him paint a better picture of just what the transformation meant.

"According to these readings," he began, "the density of Tanker's metal body has increased to nearly double what it was before. Metallurgy is not my strong suit, but I would dare say his body is as hard as titanium now." His eyes narrowed in disappointment. "Unfortunately, I cannot make sense of those metal scraps floating around him; there does not appear to be any sort of gravity distortions or unusual magnetic activity –were it the latter some of our equipment would probably be shorting out."

"To be honest, I wondered that myself," Mark admitted.

"Tell me; has Tanker ever battled in this form?" Sycamore asked.

Mark shook his head. "Not yet," he replied. "Truthfully? This is only the second time I've Mega Evolved him since I found the Steelixite, but I've yet to use him in an actual battle. I didn't want to risk it until I was sure the power didn't have any sort of adverse effect on him."

Sycamore's ears caught the tone in Mark's voice as the trainer used the word 'adverse', turning to look at him. "You have seen such effects before?"

Mark nodded. "Vitesse –my Blaziken," he replied. "She couldn't handle the Speed Boost ability at first; the way her speed kept getting higher every moment she stayed in that form. Eventually, while she was sprinting, she lost control and nearly knocked herself senseless on a tree –funny as it was at first, I quickly noticed it had actually hurt her; she just couldn't stop in time. We spent the next month helping her master control, feeling the increase in her leg strength and overtime adjust to how her speed continued to climb. It was a long process, but eventually our efforts paid off."

He looked away from the professor to stare up at Tanker. "I'm still working on trying to find out just what other effects Tanker's mega evolution has on him, beyond increasing the density of his body and altering his form so... extensively. I always feared those rotating scraps meant something was distorted in his own center of gravity –if you can believe it, I was afraid he would float off into space or something."

At that, Sycamore allowed himself a laugh. "Fortunately, that does not seem to be happening," he replied. "Especially since the increased skin density has actually made Tanker nearly twice as heavy as he was before."

"That," Mark began, his eyes scanning along Tanker's metal tail and noting how much thicker he had become, "does not surprise me."

"I think I have all the data I need," Sycamore stated. "He can power down now."

Mark nodded, and looked up at Tanker. Reading his face, the Steelix let out another low growl in reply, and his body once more became engulfed in light, this time the colour blue. The metal scraps hovering around him vanished as though they never were, and he shrank down to a smaller size. When the light dispersed from him, he was back to the form of an ordinary Steelix.

"That will be all, then," Sycamore said as, with the touch of a button, the humming of the scanning equipment began to lessen, returning silence to the area once more.

Sycamore turned to Mark again, giving him a warm smile. "My gratitude for your help, Mark," he said. "This will go a long way in my research."

Mark nodded to him. "I'm glad to be of help," he said, reaching for Tanker's Poké Ball housed in his vest, aiming the front of it towards him. "Thanks for your help too, big guy," he said before he used the recall function to draw him back in. Tanker compliantly returned to the confines of the Poké Ball, after which Mark replaced it into its holster in his vest. "So, if that's it, I guess Fang and I will be heading home."

Just as Mark turned to look down at his Mightyena, he was surprised to find that Fang was gone. "Hey, where'd he go?" He asked, elevating his gaze again to look for his Pokémon, before resorting to calling out to him. "Fang!"

"Mark!" Birch called, waving his arm to get Mark's attention and pointing with his other to his right, just outside of the lab building. "He's over here!"

Following where Birch was pointing, Mark found his Pokémon, standing near the aluminium building with his gaze turned towards the modular. Mark strode over to him, approaching the Mightyena and was about to speak when he noticed Fang was growling, deeply, his face contorted with displeasure and baring teeth as he stared towards the trailer.

"Is he okay?" Sycamore asked as he and Birch noticed the drastic change in the previously quiet Mightyena's mood.

Mark knew Fang could only have one reason to be growling in such a way. Following Fang's gaze towards the modular, he called out in a raised voice. "Who's there? You may as well come out; we know you're there!"

At first, nobody appeared, and Mark repeated the command for the intruder to reveal themselves, this time threatening to let Fang loose if they continued to hide. He knew he probably looked like an idiot at that moment, since there was not anyone to see from where they stood, but shortly, a man stepped out from behind the trailer, walking out into view and stepping into the sunlight to reveal themselves.

"It appears I have been found out," the man stated as he walked within earshot. "Forgive me for failing to announce myself." He put his arm across his chest, bowing slightly in a mock gesture of apology. "I did not wish to interrupt your work."

"You were watching us?" Birch asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Who are you, and what're you doing here?"

Fang's growling continued, wanting to charge the intruder, but he would not make a move without his trainer's command. To Mark, this man did not appear to be at all threatening; he was a tall, thin-figured person, dressed in a white, long-sleeved button-down shirt under a sleeveless green vest, a matching tie worn around his neck, black dress pants and shoes, and slicked-back dark hair. He had gray eyes, and smooth, pale skin with not a blemish to be seen on his finely chiselled face; Mark was not sure whether to get a princely or businessman impression from this stranger, but at the moment it wasn't his primary concern.

When the man realigned his posture, he produced a large gold coin from his pocket, and began to flip it between his fingers in a remarkable display of dexterity. "I go by the name of Marvin Gold," he began. "But it is who I represent that is more important. My employers are very interested in your work with Mega Evolution, Professor Sycamore, and would appreciate it if you would consider a business proposal."

"And just who is it you work for?" Sycamore asked, his brow furrowing suspiciously.

"In good time, my good man," Marvin returned, clenching the coin in his fist before continuing. "But know they are willing to offer you a considerable contribution to fund further research, if..." He paused. "You agree to come work for them."

"I refuse," Sycamore returned without hesitating in the slightest. "The last time I got involved with some big-name organization, things didn't exactly turn out well for anyone. Tell your employers they can keep their money; my research is private and it shall remain such."

Marvin's cocky smirk faded from his pursed lips. Oddly enough, Mark felt a twinge of satisfaction when he saw that smile fade, praising Professor Sycamore in his mind without taking his eyes off of the man. Fang clearly did not like something about him, and that was enough to make the Ex-Champion suspect this man was less-than-honest about his intentions.

"That... is unfortunate," Marvin stated. "You see, my employers made it clear I was not to come back without you or at least your research notes."

Sycamore afforded himself a smug grin. "I hate to be such a nuisance," he said, cordially. "But that is my decision."

"So you can see yourself out now," Birch added.

"You misunderstand," Marvin began, shutting his eyes as he pocketed his coin. "I'm not leaving without that research." He brought his hand out of his pocket, and snapped his fingers.

At first, nothing happened. But all of a sudden, following a twitch of his ear, Fang whipped around and let out a snarl, startling the professors as they at first thought that it was directed at them, until they heard a crackling noise behind them and looked over their shoulders just in the nick of time to see two men in dark clothes and goggles that had been sneaking up behind their backs, holding metallic rods in their hands.

With their approach compromised, the men rushed. Sycamore reacted quickly, avoiding the baton weapon as it was thrust at him, but Birch was not so quick; he was jabbed harshly in the stomach with the weapon, an electric crackling preceding a cry of pain from the professor before he doubled over and fell to the ground, curling into a fetal position.

Fang lunged, going for the man that had attacked Birch and clamping his jaws around the man's leg. The thug let out a holler of agony as Fang's teeth penetrated through his boot and pierced skin. With a sharp yank, Fang pulled the man off of his feet, making him fall to the ground, but as he tried to pin the thug down, the Mightyena was jabbed with the baton weapon, letting out a yelp as the electric jolt coursed through him.

Throwing the Mightyena off of him with a curse, the man began to sit up, only to see the sole of a show coming towards him, striking him square in the nose and sending white-hot agony through his entire face as his nose was utterly crushed by the kick.

" _No one_ does that to my Pokémon!" Mark roared as he drew back his leg.

"You punk!" The other thug yelled, abandoning his pursuit of Professor Sycamore and lunging at Mark, thrusting his weapon at him. Mark narrowly dodged out of the path of the initial thrust, and then swung his leg in a high kick at the man in retaliation, aiming for his face. But the thug was fast, ducking under Mark's foot and aiming for him while his leg was still off the ground.

Searing pain shot through Mark's body as the baton was jabbed into his side, tensing his entire body with the jolt and sending him careening to the ground. The man lifted the baton over his head, intent to bludgeon Mark with the weapon, until Fang, having recovered from the jolt he had taken, jumped in to protect his trainer. Once more going for the leg, he bit the man on the calf and tried to pull him off of his feet; the man struggled to keep his balance, swinging his weapon feebly at the Mightyena, demanding he let go.

"Excuse me," Professor Sycamore's voice called, diverting the thug's attention, only to be struck in the face by a fold-up chair by the Kalos researcher; one of the lens of his goggles was cracked by the improvised weapon, and he feebly dropped to the ground, with Fang releasing his leg during the fall.

"Pardon me, _mon amie,_ " Sycamore jested, before he tossed aside the chair and went to check on Mark. "Are you alright?" He asked, kneeling down to help him.

"Yeah," Mark replied, weakly, clutching his stomach where he'd been electrocuted by the thug's weapon. "Felt like a tazer or something but I'm okay." He looked up at Professor Sycamore, giving him a wry smile. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Well he _was_ being rather uncivilized," the Professor joked, giving Mark a wink before helping him to his feet and going to check on Professor Birch.

Fang trotted up to Mark's side, whining in concern as leaned his head down licked Mark's hand. Mark lifted that hand, and placed it on Fang's head. "I'm okay, boy," Mark assured, petting him for a moment, before remembering they were not done yet, and turning his attention to Marvin. "Still one more to deal with."

The man had been observing the scuffle, and gone back to flipping that coin around in his hand, considering his options as he watched Mark warily. "It appears I did not plan for every possibility," he said. "I was only prepared for the professors, not a third party."

"Yeah, well, life's full of disappointment, asswipe," Mark retorted coldly. "Now, are you going to leave quietly or am I going to have to make you?"

Marvin scoffed. "Such a rude young man you are," he said, reaching behind his back. "It appears you need to be taught a lesson in proper respect to your elders, boy." From the back of his belt, he revealed a Poké Ball, expanding it in his hand and holding it out. "Perhaps my business partner here will assist in that."

"Fang," Mark prompted; the Mightyena stepped forward at his name, still baring his teeth as he prepared for the imminent battle with the stranger...


	3. Chapter 2

What had started out as an ordinary day had turned into quite the turn of events for Mark. He had come to the wilderness east of Mauville at the request of two Pokémon Professors, to assist them in a research project. But following the conclusion of the experiment, a stranger had appeared, looking for Professor Sycamore and offering him a position with a firm he represented.

Sycamore had refused, but the man, introduced as Marvin Gold, would not take no for an answer, and revealed his true colours when a pair of thugs accosted Mark and the Professors. With help from his Mightyena, Fang, Mark had fended them off, defending both himself and the Professors from harm, leaving only Marvin to face the Ex-Hoenn Champion alone, for an imminent Pokémon Battle.

The stare between the two was long and drawn out, the air between them silent except for Fang's growling as he waited for his opponent's Pokémon, tensions running high in the three. Finally, Marvin cast the Poké Ball forward, and it opened to let out its inhabitant, exiting as a white bolt of energy to strike the ground, which proceeded to take shape, taking on an arachnid form.

A body consisting of a head and abdomen materialized, standing on four long legs and waving two pedipalps –short limbs that could be used for grabbing prey- from underneath its head. Two large, blue eyes and four smaller eyes in a two-by-two pattern between the large ones stared back at him. Its body consisted of yellow and purple colours in various patterns, and with blue sections of its upper legs where they connected to its body. It clicked its mandibles as it waved its pedipalps tauntingly at Fang, who growled back.

Mark cringed. "It _had_ to be a bug," he grunted. "I hate bugs..."

The Pokémon Marvin had chosen was a Galvantula; a Bug/Electric-type, commonly found in Unova. Mark had never battled one before, only recognizing it due to having seen a trainer using one at the Hoenn Battle Resort. Marvin had made a good choice regardless; Bug-types were more effective against Dark-types like Fang. However, Galvantula _were_ known to be rather weak; swift, but not powerful. He saw no reason to switch out Fang. Besides, the only other Pokémon he had on him was Tanker; everyone else was still at home.

 _'_ _Speedy, but not powerful; I can use that,'_ thought Mark. _'Fang should be tough enough to take whatever this bug dishes out. Should've brought Coal or Vitesse with me, though.'_

"Galvantula, attack with Signal Beam!" Marvin called.

Between its mandibles, a sphere of energy formed in front of Galvantula, emitting a green light as it appeared. Within a few seconds of charging the attack, Galvantula fired the beam. Fang quickly darted out of the way, avoiding the attack narrowly, and then Mark gave him his first command.

"Snarl!"

Fang began to growl deeply, before opening his maw wide and unleashing a sharp, savage Snarl attack, striking Galvantula with unseen force and making it skitter backwards, shaking its head to clear it before stepping forward again. At Marvin's command, it attacked with a second signal beam, but this time the light emitted by the attack was dimmer, and when Fang dodged it, its impact on the ground was less than the first one.

 _'_ _Perfect; Snarl lowered its Special Attack and made it weaker_ ,' thought Mark.

"Galvantula, use Electroweb!" Marvin called.

Galvantula jumped high into the air, arching its body forward as it produced some webbing from its abdomen, moving its legs at lightning speeds to spin a net of electrically-charged web, which it then hurled down at Fang.

"Shadow Ball!" Mark called.

A purple light shone between Fang's teeth, and with a bark, a sphere of condensed, supernatural energy burst forth from his maw, striking the webbing and disintegrating it, but it failed to hit Galvantula, missing the spider by a wide berth. ' _Special attacks never_ were _Fang's forté,_ ' thought Mark, but the Shadow Ball had done what it needed to. "Fang, move in and use Crunch!"

The Mightyena complied, breaking into a run and chasing after the Galvantula, fangs bared. At Marvin's command, the spider Pokémon attempted another Signal Beam; the closer range this time allowed it to graze Fang's side, causing him some pain, but it was not enough to stop him. He lunged for Galvantula, attempting to bite it; the spider jumped to the side, narrowly evading him, but Fang was tenacious and continued to pursue, putting pressure on the spider Pokémon.

"Use Screech!" Marvin called.

Before Mark could issue an order to Fang, the Galvantula unleashed the attack; even if the Hoenn trainer could have issued one fast enough, Fang was too close to get out of the way in time. The Galvantula reared up on its back legs, mandibles clicking madly before it unleashed a horrid shriek that visibly distorted the air around Fang. The scream forced Fang to a halt, flattening his ears and clenching his eyes shut as he tried to resist the sound, but his hearing was too sensitive, and his ears were left ringing by it.

Because of this, Fang didn't hear Mark calling out to him, telling him to watch out for the Galvantula's next attack. It had spun another Electroweb while Fang wasn't looking, and tossed it over the Mightyena, enveloping him in the web and sending a painful jolt through his body. Fang yelped, falling onto his side as his muscles turned to jelly at the current of electricity surging through him. He struggled to get free, but nearly every time he moved, the web would shock him again.

"Now, Galvantula; Leech Life!"

The spider lunged for Fang, grabbing him in its pedipalps through the webbing that entangled him. Despite his struggles to keep the spider off of him, Galvantula sank its fangs into his side, making him howl in agony as he was bitten, renewing his thrashing to try and get out from under the web, but now Galvantula was holding him down, making it harder for him to get free.

Mark was about to issue Fang an order, but the words died in his throat; he didn't know what to do! But why didn't he; he'd fought hundreds of Bug-type trainers, but all of a sudden it was as if his mind had gone completely blank, and he started to panic, only made worse as he watched Fang's energy be stolen from him to revitalize the spider Pokémon.

Desperate, Mark just shouted out the first command that came to mind, praying it would be enough. "Ice Fang!" He cried.

Hearing his call, Fang growled loudly and lunged for Galvantula, a cool mist creeping from his teeth as he clamped them, catching both web and Pokémon, in his powerful jaws, biting Galvantula on the leg. The spider pulled its fangs out of Fang's body, rearing back and instinctively trying to pull away from him, but despite its tugging and Fang still being shocked by the web draped over him, he refused to let go.

Galvantula's attempts to retreat eventually caused the web to be ripped free of the ground, pulling Fang back to his feet in the process, and when Galvantula finally pulled its leg free from Fang's jaws, the Mightyena shook himself briskly, finally flinging the webbing off of him, and then went for Galvantula again. At Mark's command, he finished the Crunch attack he had started earlier, this time grabbing Galvatula by the section of body between its head and abdomen, and lifting it from the ground.

Marvin was made hesitant by the turn of events, not sure what to tell Galvantula to do; Fang shook his head side to side, tossing around the spider a little before he rose up on his hind legs and hurled him into the air. Mark ordered him to use another Shadow Ball, and this time Fang did not miss; the sphere formed in front of his maw before launching forth, and it struck Galvantula in midair, sending it spinning as it fell back to the ground with its legs curled in on itself, landing dully and remaining still.

"Blast!" Marvin cursed, producing Galvantula's Poké Ball and recalling it, glaring at Mark. "You'll pay for that one, boy!" He stated, losing his earlier composure in the heat of the battle.

Mark ignored him, instead calling to Fang. "Here Fang," he said.

The Mightyena turned, and hobbled over to his Trainer's side, wincing from the pain in his flank where Galvantula had bit him, and still feeling the after-effects of the shock from the webbing. His last attacks on the spider had been driven by adrenaline and the need to show his trainer his drive to win, but now that the former was beginning to abate, the damage of the battle started to set in, causing him discomfort.

"I'm sorry boy," Mark apologized to his Pokémon, kneeling down and gently stroking his neck. "Step back for now; Tanker can handle it from here." _'I should've used him from the start,'_ Mark thought darkly, cursing himself for his foolishness.

Marvin was reaching for another Poké Ball, but just as he grasped one, he paused, tilting his head and listening. Seeing the man pause prompted Mark to listen as well, putting a hand to his ear as the wailing of police sirens filled the air, getting closer by the second; they were coming. Mark looked over his shoulder at the professors, knowing one of them had to have been the ones to call the police, and smiled triumphantly.

"Blast it all!" Marvin cursed, turning his attention to the two downed men Mark, Fang and Professor Sycamore had downed earlier, who were just now starting to come around. "You two; get up! The police are coming!"

At the mention of 'police' the two men scrambled to their feet, spurred by the contemplation of being arrested, and with that the three ran around the back of the trailer, the sound of a car engine starting soon following. While Mark watched, he saw a topless jeep speeding away, the three crooks its passengers as they fled the scene.

When he was sure they were gone, Mark turned to look over his shoulder, directing his attention now to Professor Sycamore and Professor Birch, who was now back up in a seated position holding his stomach where he had been jabbed by the stun baton of the thug that had jumped him. "Did you call the cops?" Mark asked, looking at Professor Sycamore.

"Birch did," the Kalos researcher replied. "After he was hit with that baton, he merely pretended to be incapacitated and called for help while you distracted Marvin." Sycamore rolled his eyes to stare off in the direction the thugs had fled. "You did well against him; his Galvantula was rather strong, wasn't it?"

Mark nodded to the professor, but looked away after and did not voice his true thoughts to him, because the Ex-Champion was not convinced that it had been Galvantula's strength that had caused him to nearly lose the battle...

The rest of Mark's day was spent being interviewed by the police when they arrived to secure the scene, giving them all of the information they asked of him. He gave the most detailed description of Marvin that he could manage, but could not give much about the henchmen who had accompanied him on account of them concealing themselves; he couldn't even tell the officers the colour of their hair because of the headgear and masks they had worn, so he could only provide them with a description of their outfits.

The weapons of the suspects were collected from the scene, having been left behind in their hasty retreat. The medic even offered to take a look at Mark, since he too had been shocked by one of the stun batons, but the trainer refused, assuring them he was fine, and asked him to check Fang instead. His Pokémon partner had suffered the worst of the ordeal.

Sycamore tried to apologize to Mark for having his afternoon ruined, feeling partly to blame. He felt as though openly revealing Tanker's Mega Evolution had made the trainer a target for those with interest in the Professor's research. "There's no way you could have known they were watching," Mark had told him in an attempt to alleviate his worry, and it was true; none of them had ever known anyone was there.

When the Police told Mark he was free to go, he said goodbye to Professors Sycamore and Birch, returning to his truck and helping Fang into the passenger seat before getting in, starting the engine, and driving away.

So much time had passed, the sun was already starting to set, leaving the sky bathed in twilight as Mark made his way to the road and followed it north along Route eleven. Fang lay curled up, paws tucked in and eyes shut and resting away his weariness from the battle as they made their way back home.

Mark's mind kept drifting back to the battle though. His hesitation had caused Fang to suffer more harm in that battle than he should have, and it was all because _he_ had hesitated. Mark had failed to act; a Pokémon depended on their trainer to direct them, and Mark had failed to do that. That had not happened to him in years, not since his 'green' days when he was an amateur trainer.

 _'_ _What happened to me today?'_ He questioned in thought. _'Marvin was stronger than an average trainer to be sure but he was nowhere near the level of others I've battled before, so why did I do so badly against him? Fang could've stomped that Galvantula flat but because of me, he ended up getting pulverized by it.'_ He took a hand away from the wheel as he thought of Fang, placing that hand on the back of the dozing Mightyena's head and gently rubbing behind his ears.

Fang rumbled in response to the touch, instinctively turning his head towards it to push into it, though still sleeping. _'When I saw Fang in that web and getting leeched by Galvantula, I completely froze. It's not like I haven't been faced with that situation before; I've battled at least twenty Ariados, lots of those with Fang himself! So why the hell did I freeze up like that?'_

He rubbed his eyes in annoyance before quickly taking his hand away again to keep his eyes on the road, ignoring shed strands of Fang's fur coat that he had picked up with his hand. _'Have I completely lost my edge? Has it been too long, or was it that battle I saw in Mauville?'_

The battle he had seen was a live broadcast of a title match between Randy Calvin and a trainer named Brendan, whom, Mark had learned from Professor Birch, was the son of one of the Hoenn Gym Leaders. Although Mark had not seen the whole match, he was convinced Randy had lost against the trainer, and since witnessing that, Mark had begun to question the legitimacy of his own attainment of the Champion Title...

It wasn't unheard of for champion titles to be short-lived, but Randy had only been the champion himself for half a year, and had been defeated by a Legendary Pokémon. If not even Randy could defeat Brendan, any remaining thoughts Mark had of going to reclaim his Champion title were gone from his mind...

 _'_ _I thought I was one of the best,'_ his mind carried on. _'But maybe I'm just a fraud... maybe I only beat Steven through sheer luck and nothing more.'_ He stared on at the road ahead, wondering what to do. _'How can I be sure, though?'_ He wondered. _'What could I do to prove, as much to myself, that I really_ am _the trainer I thought I was?_ '

A car horn honking caught his attention, and the trainer swerved back to his side of the road as a vehicle raced past. "Shit!" He cursed, realizing he'd been staring off into space and hadn't been watching the road properly.

Fang jolted awake at Mark's outburst, ears tall and looking up at his trainer as if to ask what was wrong. Mark let out a groan, once more petting Fang while apologizing for waking him. "Sorry fang; I'm okay, really."

He could see in the Mightyena's red eyes that he didn't believe him. Fang resorted to scooting closer to Mark and laying against his side in a comforting manner, resting his head over Mark's thigh and whining at him. Mark was always surprised by how well his Pokémon could always read his thoughts, and –for lack of a better term, know when he was full of crap. He continued to stroke Fang's mane, pausing only to shift gears as they carried on.

Mark pulled into the driveway of his home, opening the door and watching Fang as he climbed out, gently dropping to the ground and padding along at Mark's side as he went to start gathering the groceries from the back of the truck. Just as he reached in for the first half of the bags, he heard the weatherproof door of his house banging shut; looking up, he saw Vitesse hopping down from the porch, jogging towards the truck.

Mark knew she intended to help with the groceries, but when she stepped around the truck, her eyes immediately fell upon Fang, noticing his bandaged flank. She jerked her gaze back up to look at Mark, eyeing him questioningly.

"There... was an incident at the lab," replied Mark. "Some thug showed up and we ended up having to battle him."

He knew Vitesse was scowling at him even when he returned to gathering the bags, probably wanting to scold him for not taking her with them –if she could talk that is. If he had been _expecting_ trouble he definitely would have done so, but it was supposed to be a simple errand.

She dropped the subject though, proceeding to help Mark as she intended to do, taking a few grocery bags for him, minus two large bags Mark left in the back. While she carried the bags up to the house, Mark let Tanker out of his Poké Ball, letting the Steelix head out to find his own supper. From there, Mark retrieved the food he had bought for Siren and Palm Tree, heading out to the barn to fill their respective troughs. The Tropius was the only one inside the barn though, as Siren was probably still out in her pond.

The Tropius looked over and hissed gleefully when Mark entered the barn, stepping over him, watching hungrily as Mark tore open one of the bags of food and filled Palm Tree's trough. He then pet the Tropius for a time while he dug into the fruit-filled bits of food, enjoying the attention and the meal. He even paused eating for a moment when Mark found that sweet spot on his neck where he loved to be scratched, hissing joyfully with his mouth hanging open in a big grin.

Leaving him to enjoy his food, Mark stepped out of the barn, just in time to see Siren making her way over to the building at the sound of food. He opened the door for the Milotic, letting her slip inside and slither over to her own feeding trough.

With his larger Pokémon fed and watered, Mark headed into the house to attend to the smaller ones next, stepping inside and letting Fang enter as well before kicking off his shoes. He let out a grunt as he realized he hadn't taken back Tanker's mega stone, but he didn't feel like going after the Steelix –by now he was probably tunnelling through the ground consuming rock and minerals where Mark would never be able to reach him.

He shrugged it off, deciding it would be fine for tonight, and made his way out to the kitchen where Vitesse had finished unpacking the groceries and was putting them away.

 _'_ _You know a Pokémon is bored when you can teach them to organize groceries and then they do it without you asking_ ,' Mark thought, feeling bad that Vitesse didn't have much to do since they were no longer on a journey. He looked around the house, searching for a certain red lizard that he had expected to see by now. "Hey... where's Coal at?" He asked.

Mere seconds after he mentioned the name, a little growl filled the room as Mark was tackled from behind by something jumping off of what he assumed was the fridge, as it was the only thing in the room that exceeded his height.

 _"_ _Rawr!"_

" _Whoa!"_

Down he went, with the weight of the Charmeleon that had pounced him, landing on his stomach and almost losing all of the air in his lungs as Coal pinned him down and started licking his cheek, the trainer laughing and struggling with the playful Fire-type Pokémon until he was begging for mercy, eventually managing to turn over onto his back with Coal standing on his stomach, crouched down to look at him.

"I _so_ should've nicknamed you 'devil'," he stated.

Coal blew him a raspberry, before he leaned down and nuzzled Mark's chest, purring loudly in his throat. Mark could only laugh more, hugging the Charmeleon as the lizard snuggled him. Coal tended to be rash and a little prone to mischief, especially when Mark went somewhere without him, but it was impossible not to love that playful side of him, and it was just what Mark needed to brighten his day.

Vitesse joined the playful moment by coming over and beginning to tickle Coal from behind, and the Charmeleon cackled frantically as he struggled with the Blaziken, eventually being lifted off of Mark so he could stand up while Coal was held in Vitesse's arms. He resorted to licking her face when she finally stopped tickling him, bringing another smile to Mark. Ever since Coal had hatched from his egg, Vitesse had practically adopted him as a surrogate mother. In a way, that made Coal see Mark as something of a father... uncle? Maybe a brother? Either way, they were a tightly knit trio...

Or, more like squad; hearing all the commotion, Fang had come trotting into the kitchen as well, and when Vitesse set down the Charmeleon, Coal went to rough-house with the Mightyena in the living room, finally giving Mark the chance to prepare some food for them and himself.

Later on, Mark was seated on the couch with the TV on, turning it to the news as his other Pokémon joined him as they all ate their respective suppers, enjoying their meals in relative silence while he listened to the broadcast. To no big surprise, there was of course news about Randy's battle that day, and just as Mark had suspected, he had lost... the new Champion was Brendan from Littleroot town, son of Petalburg Gym Leader Norman.

That damned sense of confusion returned to Mark once again as he heard that news, and he nearly switched off the television until the broadcast changed, leaving his thumb hovering over the power button of the remote as he saw the faces of Professors Sycamore and Birch on the screen. Much to his surprise, it was a broadcast regarding those thugs that had attacked the research lab while Mark was there.

Setting down the remote, he listened. He hadn't expected this event to even make headlines let alone live news, especially not this soon; it had only been two hours since Mark had left the laboratory. ' _The reporters in Mauville are quick, I'll give 'em that,_ ' he thought.

 _"_ _Earlier today_ ," the anchorwoman began. _"A confirmed gang attack on a temporary lab hosted by Kalos researcher Professor Augustine Sycamore from Lumiose City took place; three men attempted to steal research belonging to Professor Sycamore and Professor Birch of Littleroot who was there to assist him. Professor Sycamore had this to say in regards to this event."_

The broadcast changed to footage of a live interview, on which Professor Sycamore, with a microphone held to his face and cameras flashing at random, appeared. _"And how is it you managed to drive off these intruders, professor?"_ The off-screen reporter inquired.

"I _didn't, actually,"_ the professor began. _"You see, Professor Birch invited a promising trainer here to help assist us with our research; when these thugs attacked, he stepped in to defend us and managed to drive them off. If he's watching this broadcast,"_ Sycamore turned to face the camera as he continued to speak. _"Thank you, trainer, for all of your help today, both with our research_ and _for defending us. If you ever find yourself in Lumiose City, I'll have some tea and a plate of macarons with your name on it."_

Mark smiled. "You're welcome professor," he said in a half-whisper.

The broadcast went on, and Mark's smile faded when he then saw _his_ face at the upper right of the screen. _"After some digging, anonymous sources have confirmed that the trainer present at the lab, acting in defense of the professors, was actually former Hoenn League Champion, Mark Taylor. Unconfirmed reports state that he battled the thugs with only one Pokémon in his possession; a Mightyena. It appears the former champion has_ not _lost his touch; Mr. Taylor, well done."_

Mark scowled. "Now how the hell did they find out it was me?" He wondered aloud; he hadn't stayed there long enough for any news crews to have noticed him...

Vitesse and Coal, both seated at the other end of the couch, elicited curious sounds as they glanced at Mark and Fang –who was down on the floor by Mark's feet, eyeing them questioningly. Mark let out a sigh. "Well, the Meowth is out of the bag," he remarked. "Yeah, that happened to us today; it's how Fang got that injury on his side." He gestured to Fang's bandaged middle, where Marvin's Galvantula had bitten him.

Of course the two seemed perturbed by the news; Vitesse had already known _something_ had happened but not the severity of it. She and Coal were especially concerned knowing that neither of them had been there to help out. They turned back to the broadcast as news about the thugs began, this subject of particular interest to Mark.

 _"_ _Police are seeking the identity of the criminals who led the attack, and released this sketch of one of the perpetrators based on eye witness description."_

The picture appeared, and Mark saw a surprisingly well-drawn picture of Marvin's face. He leaned forward in his seat, narrowing his eyes at the image. _"The culprit displayed in this picture is confirmed to be a wanted felon named Marvin Gold, a confirmed former Executive member of the Kanto crime faction, Team Rocket, who were disbanded eight years ago by Ex-Kanto Champion, Red, and again after a short comeback in Johto where they were forced to break once again by current Johto Champion, Ethan only two years after. His interest in the research of Professor Sycamore is not yet understood, but the Police have not ruled out potential connections the world's_ latest _crime faction, known as the International Crime Syndicate. More on this as information becomes available."_

The news progressed through other topics that were of little interest to Mark, letting him lean back in his seat and consider what he had just heard. "International Crime Syndicate," he repeated. ' _I've never heard of_ them _before; last group of criminals I heard about were those Team Flare bozos up in Kalos,_ ' He rubbed his chin in thought. _'If Marvin's one of them, then I might've stirred a hornet's nest when I took him on..._ ' he frowned. ' _Especially when the news_ just _broadcast my face on the airwaves.'_

He shook his head. "Nah... I doubt that they would come after me; it was just their bad luck I was there," he muttered, deciding that would be the last he'd hear of the Syndicate. Dragging himself from the couch, he went to clean up the mess of dishes left in the kitchen, and then would head to bed...

Mark was utterly restless that night, laying in bed and staring at the ceiling distantly, occasionally shifting beneath the covers. He just couldn't get it out of his mind... the broadcast of Randy losing, and his own battle with Marvin –a battle he had nearly lost. It was sending his mind racing through all of the battles he had fought in his career as a trainer. No matter how hard he tried to relax, those thoughts just would not allow him too; his brain was just too active for him to sleep.

Eventually, he surrendered, sitting up in bed and pulling off the covers, throwing his legs over the side of the bed and standing up. Fang, who slept on the foot of the bed next to Mark's legs, looked up as Mark got out of bed, tilting his head curiously as he watched his trainer leave the room, standing up and hopping down to the floor before following him out of the room. He could sense that turmoil again, for the third time that day and left wondering why Mark was so distraught.

Mark had wandered into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water from the kitchen faucet, leaning back against the counter before downing half of the contents. When he swallowed, he held the glass at chest height, staring down at the trembling liquid within while his mind continued to wander. He barely even noticed Fang stepping into the kitchen until he heard the click of his nails on the tiled floor, looking down at the Mightyena as he stared back up at him.

"Oh... sorry Fang," Mark returned, setting the glass aside on the counter beside him and kneeling down to pet the top of Fang's head. "I didn't mean to wake you again." He let out a long sigh. "I just can't seem to relax tonight."

Fang leaned back his head to lick Mark's hand, stepping forward and rubbing his head against Marks chest, whimpering slightly. He didn't like seeing his trainer in such a way, so lost and unable to find peace. Mark put an arm around the Mightyena, kissing the top of his head and petting his neck.

He heard footsteps from the hall; looking up, Mark saw Vitesse stepping into the room, rubbing her eyes before she looked up at Mark, tilting her head curiously. "Oh shit, did I wake you too?" He asked her.

She answered with a shake of her head, entering the room slowly and looking her trainer in the eye, just staring at him. He could see in those blue eyes of hers that she knew his thoughts and sensed his pain; even from a room away, that link they shared as Pokémon and Trainer was strong enough for her to sense what was in his mind.

It dawned on him right there; his restlessness, and how it was plaguing him. He had seen it in his Pokémon for weeks now. He had thought it was mere boredom up until this point but now he understood that it was more than that -they weren't just bored, they were deprived; all of his Pokémon were trained for battle –an at home life was not for them. They wanted to travel again, satisfy their wanderlust, and they wanted new challenges; he had wanted the same for the last half year himself. To travel and battle again as he had for years. He wanted to give them that...

But _where_? Where could he possibly go?

He had been to every corner of Hoenn; visited every center of civilization from Littleroot Town to the Battle Resort, and seen every natural wonder from flying around Sky Pillar on the back of Palm Tree to putting on a scuba suit and visiting the ocean trenches near Sootopolis City, gliding through the depths being towed along by Siren. There was nothing else there for him to see there.

 _'_ _How do the other Champions handle wanderlust when they've explored their entire home region?'_ Mark wondered.

He jerked so sharply, both Vitesse and Fang jumped, becoming alert as they wondered if their trainer was suffering some ailment, but they recognized from the smooth, wide-eyed look of his face it was not an illnesss, but an epiphany.

"That's just it, isn't it?" He wondered aloud. _'Other Regions... other trainers; Champions! I'm such a dunce; why didn't I think of this sooner?!_ '

Mark didn't have to stay in Hoenn at _all_. He could travel to the other regions, see the sights they had to offer, and best of all, challenge their top trainers. Test his skills against the top trainers of the world; see how his strategies and his team stacked against those who had risen to fame before even he had. Then, maybe... just maybe, he would have the answer he was seeking, as to where he stood among trainers.

It was a challenge he could not pass up...

Slowly, he turned towards Vitesse and Fang, his eyes drifting between the two as he smiled, genuinely fuelled by anticipation.

"I think I've just decided our next adventure."

The faces of his two Pokémon alit with excitement that matched his, and they listened attentively as he explained his idea to them...


	4. Chapter 3

Mark hardly slept at all that night, spending what was left of the evening on his computer to do research for his new journey, studying the other regions and who among their trainers were considered the best, and planned to book passage on a ship from Slateport with his first choice. He decided to start with the Kanto Region, where there were three names that stood out to him; the current Champion, Lance the Dragon Master –a world-famous trainer of Dragon-type Pokémon, was the first.

Everyone knew Lance, or at least knew _of_ him. He had ascended to world renown for being the only trainer to train and master _all_ Dragon-type Pokémon; a feat that required one who could instill self-control within them, as well as have presence enough for them to follow their command; Dragons were not only powerful, but prone to battle rage and difficult to control, yet despite all of that, Lance had not only managed to train them all, but win over their loyalty; it was rumoured his usual team consisted of dragon-types from all regions, so it was safe to say that he had also travelled far and wide to build his team.

Next on the list was Blue Oak, grandson to world-renowned Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak. He had been the Champion of Kanto only briefly, before having the title wrested from him by his rival, the famous Red of Pallet Town. Since then, Blue had become the Gym Leader of Viridian City, and was considered the strongest of all the Kanto Gym Leaders, having beaten each Gym Leader on his journey prior and at multiple competitions, with his apparent runner-up being Brock of Pewter City. He was the only Gym Leader in Kanto that didn't depend on a single type of Pokémon; supposedly Viridian used to be home to a Ground-type Gym, but when Blue took over the gym, he turned it into the region's only Variety Gym, employing multiple types instead of just one.

 _'_ _So, Blue is the third of Kanto's top three_ ,' thought Mark. _'I'll probably start with him, then, unless I find Red or Lance first_.'

Last on the list was Ex-Champion Red, who although was only a former champion just like Mark, he hadn't lost his title to a challenger; he had resigned the position, and left it to be taken by Dragon Master Lance instead. Mark stared at the picture of Red with mild confusion after reading that paragraph. ' _He gave up his title willingly? Why? Everything he went through to get there an he just throws it away?_ ' It just didn't make sense to Mark, to fight so hard for something, only to decide _after_ that you don't even want it.

Regardless, Red was a legendary Pokémon Trainer, perhaps even more famous than Lance. His list of crowning achievements included being the first trainer in all of the Regions to complete a Regional PokéDex , defeating the criminal organization Team Rocket, and becoming the Kanto Champion only one year after beginning his journey; he and Blue had both only been pre-teens when they had become Champions, even! And Red's prize Pokémon, the one that had made him a legend, was his Charizard.

 _'_ _Kanto is home to some tough trainers,_ ' thought Mark. _'I'm right to expect one hell of a battle against each of these guys. But that's just what I'm striving for, isn't it?'_ He chuckled a little to himself.

The next boat to Kanto wasn't leaving for eight days; that gave him plenty of time to work on training with his Pokémon and get them back into shape for the journey. He would start immediately -his eyes fell upon the clock next to his bed. Two o'clock in the morning...

"Right after I get at least a _few_ hours of sleep," he muttered to himself, walking around the bed to his side, tip-toing past the Mightyena sleeping at the foot of his bed, crawling into the opposite side and laying down on his pillow to finally allow himself to drift off the sleep.

The next day, he announced his plans to his Pokémon, and was rewarded with excited cheers and calls at the idea of a new adventure to a land none of them had ever seen before, but they had been out of action for a while, and it was time for some serious training, to give all his Pokémon a refresher course for their respective talents and combat strategies. Mark did not actually choose his Pokémon based on typing alone; he had his own method of battle, choosing Pokémon with different specialties, and using this knowledge to develop tactical fighting styles that complimented their specific traits.

Vitesse was the pinnacle success of this method, being the first one with whom he had tried it. As a practitioner of martial arts, Mark had trained directly with Vitesse since she had been a Combusken, where they combined her Pokémon attacks with human techniques. For example, her Blaze Kick was often performed as a flaming roundhouse kick for up close or, if her enemy was airborne or far away, a flying sideways kick. Vitesse had also been tutored and trained to have a highly diverse move set, including other-typing moves such as Dual Chop, Bounce and Thunderpunch. Between this wide variety of attacks, paired with excellent strength and speed, she was his crowning achievement as a trainer, for with this skillset she had fought and defeated several Pokémon of every typing, even ones that would normally be resistant to her own.

Not counting dual-typing, of course. Mark counted Steven's Steel/Psychic-type Metagross as being one of the Steel-types she had beaten, and not on the list of Psychic-types she'd fought.

Every day as he waited was spent giving one of his Pokémon specialized training. Those waiting for their turn would be sent off to undergo routine exercises to ensure they were in the best shape possible for the new journey. For some Pokémon, he needed sparring partners from his group to test them; his defenders, Tanker and Siren, needed to be put up against Vitesse and Palm Tree respectively to truly test how strong their defenses were.

Day by day, he put his Pokémon through familiar but still gruelling exercises, feeding them wholesome food at breakfast and dinner that was tailored to a specific diet Mark had created for them. The seventh day -the last before they would begin, was used to pit his Pokémon against each other in sparring sessions, putting their battle tactics to the test for one round each, during which Mark made close observations and thought of possible ways his Pokémon could compensate for these vulnerabilities. By the time the day was out, they were ragged, but they had satisfied Mark's expectations. They were ready to begin their journey.

Mark urged everyone to sleep early that night; though he had twelve hours before the boat to Kanto was due to leave, there were still a few things that needed to be done before they set out. He fed them hearty portions of their favorites, rewarding them for their efforts over the last week of training, before he went to prepare some supper for himself, and a guest he had coming over.

Speaking of, just as he put on a pot of water to boil, his doorbell rang. Fang let out a bark; Mark shushed him, before he made his way through the house to the front door, opening it to reveal said guest; a woman, closely resembling himself in skin and eye colour, but she had platinum blonde hair as opposed to his yellow-blond hair. She was a little shorter than him, with an average figure about her, neither slim nor overweight, and dressed in a white cotton shirt and blue lady's jeans.

"Hello, Mark," she said, smiling up at him.

"Hi mom," Mark replied, stepping up to the woman and sharing a loving hug with her. "Glad you could make it."

"Of course," his mother, who went by the name of Diana, replied. "We hardly get to see each other anymore; I was so glad when you called me over."

"I _did_ mention it was for a favour though, right?" Mark asked, hoping he hadn't left that part out.

Thankfully, it seemed he hadn't. "Yes, you did. Doesn't mean we can't still catch up."

A whinny caught Mark's attention; he turned, and found himself staring back at a Rapidash; a pale horse-like Pokémon with a horn growing from its forehead and a pale white body, thick with muscle. But unlike other Rapidash Mark had seen, this one stood out for its flaming mane and tail –for most Rapidash these were red, but for this one standing before him, it was _blue_ fire, trailing from the back of its head and from its hindquarters where the tail 'grew' from –what other term do you use when a Pokémon's tail was made of fire and not actual horse hair?

Mark gawked at the sight of the Rapidash; it took a second to dawn on him just who it was, his mind flashing back to a little Ponyta he had seen at his mother and uncle's ranch –his home throughout his childhood, located west at the southern foot of Mt. Chimney. He had been mystified by the unique colour of that Ponyta ever since his mother had showed her to him -ever since her Rapidash had given birth, but now here she was standing before him, evolved.

"Holy crap is that...?" Mark began.

"It is," his mother finished. "Say hello to the new Fantasia. She evolved just last month."

"She's beautiful," Mark bade, stepping up to the Rapidash standing at the edge of his porch. "Hey girl; remember me?"

She bobbed her head as if nodding, watching his hand as he brought it up and stroked her neck, the flames of her mane miraculously causing no harm to him as he petted her, and the horse-like Pokémon snorted slightly bumping his arm with her nose. "A Rapidash now, huh?" Mark asked. "She has been battling at the Chateau with you?"

"She has indeed," replied Diana, stroking the other side of Fantasia's mane. "She's been showing her strength in many battles; she really loves running circles around slower opponents too." She looked into the house. "Oh, and here comes her favorite playmate."

Mark turned to look over his shoulder, and stepped aside as Vitesse and Coal stepped out of the house, both locking eyes with Fantasia as they walked across the porch towards her, studying her as if trying to recognize the Rapidash. Vitesse clucked curiously, tilting her head side-to-side, and it was only after Fantasia nickered that she seemed to realize it was her. Vitesse stepped closer to her and petted her neck as Mark and Diana had been seconds ago, and she received a lick to the face from the Rapidash in return.

"They remember each other," Mark said, smiling.

"Of course," Diana agreed. "A true friend never forgets." She then let out a coo of awe as she saw Vitesse pick up Coal and hold him at eye level with Fantasia, as though to introduce him. "Now _that_ is just adorable," she said.

Mark chuckled. "Yeah, Vitesse and Fantasia _did_ hit it off pretty well when they first met, even though Vitesse was right to her competitive roots when she challenged her to a race."

"I wonder if she's gotten any faster?" Diana asked, looking at Mark as if to suggest they find out the answer to that question.

But Mark shook his head. "Normally, I'd take you up on that challenge, mom, but unfortunately time's not my friend tonight," he said. "I have to catch a ship tomorrow at six o'clock in the morning; I'm heading to Kanto."

Diana turned her head slightly, eyeing him with curiosity. "Kanto?"

"It's part of my new journey," Mark explained, going into detail as he and his mother headed into the house, leaving Vitesse and Coal to catch up with Fantasia. He explained his plan to her as they crossed the house, passing through the living room before entering the kitchen, where the pot of water he had put on was already boiling. He added some pasta to the pot, turning down the temperature on the element before turning back to his mother to finish his explanation.

"So, you're going to battle the top trainers of the other regions," she began. "Because you doubt your own skills?"

"Well... sort of," Mark began. "After I saw Randy lose that battle, yes; I questioned if my win at the Hoenn League was legitimate or just lucky."

"Mark, you beat Steven Stone," Diana pointed out. "That man lost his Champion title years back only to win it again, holding it for three years, and then he lost it to _you_. Just because you didn't hold the title as long as he did doesn't mean you aren't a good trainer; the world of Pokémon Trainers moves forward at a constant pace. To even think that trainers of new generations won't be as strong if not better than the last is just narrow-minded thinking."

"I know; I had that exact same thought the day Randy beat me," Mark replied. "If nothing else I'm at least one of the top five trainers in Hoenn; I've battled so many here, and now I know of at least two I can't beat; Randy, the guy who took my title, and Brendan, the son of the Petalburg Gym Leader, who just became Champion."

"And why is it you think you can't beat Brendan? You _have_ kept up with your training, haven't you?"

Leave it to Diana to render him speechless and struggling for an answer; his mother had _always_ managed to do that to him, especially when she was right... because she always was. He fought to find an answer as the pasta finished cooking, quickly taking it off the heat, shutting off the burner and draining the contents of the pot into a strainer in the sink.

"I'll take your incoherent mumbling as a 'no'," Diana finished for him.

"H-Hey I've still done _some_ training," Mark replied, a little defensively, as he went on to return the pasta to the hot pot, placing it back on the burner and adding some alfredo sauce from a jar and parmesan to it while trying to defend himself against his mother's undeniable logic. _'I hate when she can read me like a book... how do mothers always do that?'_

"Oh, you have?"

"Yeah; you saw Coal's evolved now too," Mark replied. "I've been training him all year and everyone else has kept fit. Plus, over the last week, we did a recap; everyone's up to snuff. So of course I'm ready for this new journey."

Diana looked up at him, appearing unconvinced as she met his gaze. "We'll discuss that more in a moment," she said. "For now, let's eat; can't think on an empty stomach after all."

Mark chuckled at how she had diverted the topic to their dinner instead, and gave her a nod before serving the now sauce-coated pasta onto two plates, taking it over to the table and placing one plate in front of his mother before realizing he'd forgotten to grab utensils. He face-palmed, before setting down his own plate and heading back over to the counters to retrieve them from a drawer, giving a fork to his mother before sitting down across from her so they could eat their meals.

They didn't say much more to each other, making the dinner feel slightly awkward. Mostly his mother asked questions such as how long he would be gone or question if he was truly ready to challenge the strongest Pokémon Trainers in the world. Mark would of course answer her 'yes', but he knew her just as she knew him; words would not go far in convincing her.

When they were both finished eating and Mark put the plates and any remaining others into his dishwasher, switching it on, while taking the pot he'd used to cook the pasta to wash by hand as it was too big for the dishwasher. When he was finished, Diana stood up from the table.

"Come with me, son," she bade, heading for the front door.

Mark complied, following his mother through the house and to the front door, where she exited the building and crossed the porch before descending into the yard. The other Pokémon out there looked up as she appeared, especially Fantasia, as if sensing something was on Diana's mind, and she proceeded to go stand by her trainer as she walked across the lawn before turning to face Mark.

"You and I," she began, "are going to battle first."

Though her challenge was not unexpected, Mark still felt somewhat surprised by her sudden manner, seeing the serious look in her eyes and hearing it in her voice as she spoke. "Right now? Why?"

"I want to gauge your strength," she returned. "You say you haven't been training regularly; I want to make sure that hasn't made you complacent. Only then will you be ready for this journey."

Mark frowned. "Mom, I live on my own now; even if I accept your challenge and lose, I'll still go on this adventure regardless."

"I know," she returned. "But think of it this way; if you cannot even beat _me_ , son, a trainer who never made it to Champion, what chance will you have against trainers like the ones you are hoping to battle?"

 _'_ _Ah damn it, she did it again!_ ' Mark thought in defeat, once more left speechless. He tried to come up with a good answer to give her, but he struggled to do so; once she had him in a corner like this, she could always backpedal everything he said. Mark had learned long ago arguing with his mother was fruitless; she was _always_ right, or she would dare you to try and prove her wrong.

Mark knew well not to underestimate his mother, even if she had never made it to Champion herself; she was a strong and experienced trainer, on par with –if not exceeding, the Elite Four.

"Alright, mom," Mark stated. "If I know you, you're not going to take no for an answer."

She smiled at him. "Not really."

"Fine; I'll accept your challenge. But it has to be quick; I've got to get up really early tomorrow."

"One on one, then," she said. "And, if I may make a suggestion?"

"Yeah?"

She pointed towards Coal, who was standing over by Vitesse. "I'd like you to use him."

Mark followed where she was pointing, before he looked back at her with an arched eyebrow. "Coal?" He asked. "Why him?"

"You said he's the one you've been training for the past year," reminded Diana. "I want to see how well you've trained him. Don't worry; I'm not going to be so unfair as to use my Sharpedo or Gardevoir." She reached over to the Rapidash standing by her side, patting her mane. "I will use Fantasia; if you can beat her, then you know you're ready."

"I... suppose," Mark replied, looking over at Coal. "What do you think, little guy? You up for your first real battle?"

The Charmeleon let out an excited growl, running over to stand at Mark's side. Vitesse looked at Mark with mild concern, evidently worried that Coal might be outclassed against Fantasia. But Mark gave her a reassuring nod; he had faith Coal could manage. They had trained for months, and for a Charmeleon Coal _was_ pretty strong.

"Alright," Mark muttered as he waited for his mother to take her position, with Fantasia stepping forward in front of Diana, waiting to begin. ' _Fire-type vs. Fire-type; neither Coal or Fantasia can know any attacks that would be doubly effective against the other, unless mom taught Fantasia something I don't know about. Unfortunately, she's also going to be faster; Coal's quick, but no Charmeleon is faster than a Rapidash.'_ He narrowed his eyes. _'Going to have to be a little tricky here.'_

"Ready, son?" Diana asked.

"Ready, mom," Mark returned. "Coal, let's show 'em what we got."

The Charmeleon growled, stepping forward and standing in front of Mark, smoke billowing from his nostrils as he let out a snort, his gaze meeting that of the Rapidash as the two of them waited for the first commands from their trainers. Mark and Diana's eyes met, son and mother staring each other down waiting for the other to make the first move...

Mark made the first call. "Okay, Coal; Flame Burst!" He called.

Coal inhaled sharply, before spitting out a fireball at the Rapidash; Fantasia dodged the fireball, but upon its impact with the ground, she was showered by scattering embers from the fireball. She did not react to the ember shower, and Diana did not look perturbed by the attack.

"As impatient to launch an assault as ever, my son," she said.

" _You_ weren't looking too ready to go first," Mark returned, giving his mother a wry smirk.

Diana chuckled at that. "Maybe so, but if your opponent is not keen on striking first, it pays to use something to hinder them or bolster yourself..." She grinned. "Like this. Fantasia; Agility!"

Off the Rapidash went, galloping past Coal before turning back to run at him, zig-zagging side-to-side with her body a blur as she charged. Coal narrowly dove out of the way, turning to face her just as she circled around to charge him again, her attack turning to Flame Charge at Diana's command. "Coal; Smokescreen!" Mark called.

The Charmeleon belched a cloud of black fog from his maw, which rapidly expanded to a large enough size to encompass the area around him as Fantasia rushed him with the Flame Charge, but she struck nothing, and was suddenly surrounded by smoke. She stopped in place, snorting as she looked around herself, trying to locate the Charmeleon.

"Dragon Pulse!" Mark called.

A burst of light purple energy exploded from the cloud to her right; she did not even have time to dodge, even with her speed. She was struck directly, reeling away from the point of impact and shaking her head to clear it. Diana ordered her to use Flamethrower; she exhaled a cone of fire in the direction the Dragon Pulse had come from, but Coal had long since relocated, circling around to the other side of the smoke cloud and blasting the Rapidash again with another Dragon Pulse.

"Fantasia; get out of the cloud!" Diana called.

The horse Pokémon hurriedly complied, charging forward and getting out of the smoke cloud back into clear air where she could see what was happening around her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Coal coming around the cloud, once more trying to flank her only to stop in his tracks when she emerged from the smoke. She turned, rearing up on her hind legs and attempting to land a Stomp on the Charmeleon, but Coal darted out of the way just in time, sending her powerful hooves striking into the ground instead.

"An agile little adversary, isn't he?" Diana asked, impressed by the Charmeleon's speed.

"We're just getting warmed up," Mark returned with a confident smile.

Diana smiled before issuing Fantasia her next command. "Let's put that to the test; Fantasia, Fury Attack!"

The Rapidash lowered her head, bringing her long, pointed horn to bear as she rushed at Coal again, jabbing at him repeatedly with the spiked horn, forcing him to dodge side-to-side, hopping about to keep clear of the horn. Mark counted by ordering Coal to use Slash, and he did, smacking the Rapidash across the face with his claws and leaving a mark on her cheek, but Coal's physical strength was not on par with the much larger Rapidash. She reared up to Stomp again, but as Coal moved to dodge, Mark ordered him to charge forward instead.

Coal hesitated, unsure what Mark was planning by having him actually run _toward_ the Rapidash while she was reared up to kick him, and that hesitation head cost him; Fantasia struck him with her hooves, sending him skidding across the ground and kicking up a dust trail as he slid. Mark cursed under his breath, but couldn't think about it at that moment –Fantasia was closing in to attack again, once more rearing up for another Stomp, and Mark had to think fast what to do, eventually giving Coal another command. "Dragon Pulse again!"

The Rapidash was struck almost point-blank as Coal launched a burst of Dragonic energy from his mouth, sending Fantasia flying off her rear hooves and falling to the ground with a crash. She struggled to get up, fighting to bring her hooves under her. Coal was intent to attack her while she was vulnerable, but Mark ordered him to stop.

"You don't strike an opponent while they're down, Coal," Mark stated firmly.

The Charmeleon complied, staying where he was even as Fantasia stood up back onto her hooves. Diana regarded Mark with an approving smile, before she ordered Fantasia into her next attack –one that Mark was not expecting; Poison Jab. Her horn turned a dark purple, and she charged at Coal, but at Mark's order the Charmeleon strafed to the side, avoiding the charging horse. Fantasia pursued, repeatedly jabbing at Coal with her horn, but he was so small and quick, even with the superior speed of the Rapidash he was outmaneuvering her.

"Coal, tuck & roll!" Mark called.

The Charmeleon complied following another dodge of the Rapidash's Poison Jab, before he dove forward, rolling under her head and uncurling beneath her, staring up at her belly. Suddenly it dawned on the Charmeleon why Mark had urged him to charge forward before when the Rapidash was up on her hind-legs; from underneath, she was completely defenseless. He fired another Dragon Pulse, straight into her belly; once more her hooves left the ground for only a second, forcing Coal to cross his arms over his chest to roll out of the way as she collapsed, falling to where he had been only a second before.

"Enough," Diana called, ordering an end to the battle.

With that, she approached Fantasia, watching and standing by as the Rapidash rose back to her hooves, where Diana proceeded to stroke her mane reassuringly. Mark appeared at her side, and produced an item from his pocket; a compact bottle of Super Potion, offering it to his mother. She smiled at him gratuitously, accepting the bottle from him and spraying its contents over the areas where Fantasia had been hit by Coal's attacks.

"Quite the little Pokémon you have there, my son," Diana commented.

Mark chuckled. "You don't know the half of it," he muttered.

"But," Diana continued. "I noticed Coal seemed uncertain of your instruction earlier in the battle, when Fantasia was using Stomp. You have clearly trained him well in battle; his speed and power are impressive, but he does not quite seem to understand you yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Your strategies are sound; outside the box and yet simple," Diana stated. "But how often has Coal seen you use them?"

Mark stiffened at that, struggling to find a response to give his mother, before letting out a defeated sigh and just giving her the truth. "This... was his first battle –his first non-training battle, that is," he stated.

Diana arched an eyebrow at Mark, studying him for a moment before she shrugged. "Well with that in mind, he did quite well, all things considered," she complimented. "That said it appears you and he are not in full sync yet; he clearly adores you but he's not in tune with your way of thinking. It's part of why I wanted you to use him instead of your usual go-to Pokémon, Fang or Vitesse."

Mark let out a chuckle at that. "So, this wasn't just to gauge _my_ readiness; you wanted to test my Pokémon too?"

"Yes," Diana replied, finishing administering the potion to Fantasia, looking past Mark to the Charmeleon standing at his side. "Debatably Coal may be your weakest Pokémon in terms of experience. But a good trainer can fight well with even an amateur Pokémon, as long as they understand each other. You can Coal need some work yet." She smiled at Mark again. "But I think you have more than proven you're ready for this new journey of yours."

Mark could only laugh again as he replied. "I've been out on my own for two years, beat the Elite Four, fought the Champion – _became_ the Champion, and you're _still_ schooling me," he said.

"Of course; I'm your mother. It's what I live for." She returned in a half-jest.

Throughout his life, Diana had not only been Mark's mother –the woman who raised him, practically by herself as his dad never seemed to want anything to do with him, she had also trained him, educated him and was practically his first rival when he became a Pokémon trainer; many times, throughout his journey she would appear before him and challenge him to battle, testing him to see how far he had come. His last battle with her had been a year ago, at Ever Grande City, where she had barred him from entering Victory Road until he finally defeated her. That battle was the first and, until now, the only time he had ever managed to win against her.

The fact was, she had always been there. Everything he was, he owed to her; if that made him some momma's boy, so be it, but Diana had made him into the man he was. But on this new journey Mark would be embarking on, she would not be following him this time; her days of testing him were past. Now he would stand alone with the trainers he sought to battle to serve as his new trial.

"Now," Diana chimed suddenly, breaking Mark out of his melancholic trance. "It is time you go get some rest. I will take care of your house while you're away."

Mark nodded gratefully to his mother. "Thank you," he said. "I don't know how long I'll be gone but I'll get all of my expenses sorted out before I go."

"Just make sure you have enough to live on while you're travelling too," Diana pointed out. "And, don't be afraid to ask for some help."

"You _know_ I don't like taking money from you," Mark reminded, rubbing the back of his head absently. "What's the point of living on your own when mom's still buying your groceries?"

"It's called _family_ , Mark," Diana stated. "I'm not saying come to me for all of your travel expenses; if you run out of money and need help getting home, _that_ I'm willing to do."

Mark nodded again. "Okay, okay," he returned. "Either way, thanks mom. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how the journey is progressing."

She smiled at him, and once more the two shared a loving hug. "Take care of yourself, my boy," she said.

"I will, mom," he said "Love you."

"Love you too," she replied.

When they pulled apart, Mark looked at Fantasia, noting her weakened state. "You got here riding on her, right?" He asked. "I could lend you the truck if you need to drive home." He could always fly to Slateport on Palm Tree's back if it came down to it.

But Diana shook her head. "We drove; I parked my car down by the highway," she replied. "Thank you for offering."

Mark nodded. "Okay mom," he said. "Drive safely."

Diana chuckled. "I remember when I was always saying that to _you_. Oh, how time flies."

They shared a brief laugh as Diana and Fantasia began to depart from Mark's home, with the Hoenn trainer waving after her as they descended the hill towards the highway. He watched them until they were just about out of sight before looking down at Coal. "Alright little fella; time for bed," he said. "We've got a big day tomorrow."

Coal looked up at him, eliciting a slight purr from his throat in response, before he felt a pair of hands grasp him below his arms and lift him up, looking behind him as Vitesse placed him onto her shoulder, cooing softly at him as if congratulating him on his first win. With that, the three returned to the house, heading inside to get a good night's sleep for their new adventure.

The sun was not even up yet when Mark and his Pokémon, safely resting in their Poké Balls –apart from one sitting in the passenger seat next to Mark, were on their way, leaving their house behind and jumping onto the highway to head south towards Slateport. With four hours to spare before his boat was to leave, Mark could safely take his time, sipping a mug of hot coffee to help wake himself up as they sped down the road.

The drive seemed to take forever. He could feel his heart beating with anticipation as he imagined the challenges that awaited him across the sea on the northern continent where Kanto, Johto and Kalos all shared a landmass. So much to see, so many challenges to face; he was so ready for it. This long drive was almost torturous to him, leaving him constantly fighting the urge to floor the gas pedal to drive faster –getting pulled over by the police and paying a speeding ticket was _not_ going to do him any favours.

The sun was just beginning to glimmer over the horizon when finally, he arrived in Slateport, making his way through to the docks where his ship would be leaving from. Finding a place to park his truck, which he had to register in advance, he pulled his belongings out of the box and walked, with Vitesse accompanying him, towards the docks.

It was somewhat crowded in the terminal when he entered, making his way through the clusters of people and Pokémon as he tried to find his gate, retrieving his boarding pass and going through Security –forced to put Vitesse back into her Poké Ball briefly, letting her back out once they were heading for the ship. Following directions from one of the guards, he found his way to his transport. On the side of its hull in bright, bold, black letters was the name of the ship –the _S.S Julia_. It was a large vessel, clearly of a slightly older model, but remarkably well maintained, with a freshly polished hull, very few signs of rush, new chrome-coloured handrails and portholes along the sides of the hull.

When he joined the other passengers ascending the gangplank, he stepped onto a freshly varnished wooden deck, and was greeted by multiple sailors, one of whom –the captain, he guessed, by the look of the hate, was an elderly man with a nearly trimmed mustache, wearing a uniform shirt that had countless naval emblems and medals decorating its front over the left pectoral. He greeted Mark with a warm smile, introducing himself as Captain John Raven and welcoming the trainer aboard the _S.S Julia_.

It had been a long time since he had travelled by boat; not since the ferry to and from the Battle Resort when he had gone there a while back. But that boat had been nowhere near as big as this one; a passenger liner meant for travelling across oceans. Judging by how many people were still climbing the gangplank, he guessed that at least a thousand people were on this ship if not more. And, from what he heard, even this was not all of them; the ship would be making a brief stop in Mossdeep City to pick up more passengers.

"Not going to have much privacy on this trip, I think, eh girl?" Mark asked Vitesse, glancing at the Blaziken, who merely clucked in reply. "Let's find our cabin, then, before we get lost in this crowd."

After finding his cabin and dropping off his luggage, Mark changed out of his usual attire into a pair of shorts and sleeveless shirt, waiting until after the ship began to disembark before he headed to the roof where the pool was located, finding himself a deck chair and laying down in the sunlight, applying some sunscreen to his body so he wouldn't burn.

Vitesse was laying down in the chair next to him; he wanted to let out his other Pokémon as well but the ship only allowed trainers to have one out at a time, and they had a weight limit; no Pokémon over five hundred pounds could be let out onto the deck, or they risk breaking through the floorboards themselves, so Tanker would be forced to remain in his Poké Ball all the way to Kanto.

' _I'll have to let him out in Mossdeep and feed him; this will be at least ten hours of sailing_ ,' Mark thought, making a mental note.

An announcement began over the loudspeakers as the ship started to leave port. _"Good morning passengers; this is your captain speaking. We are now ready to get underway; all passengers bound for Kanto, please enjoy the many facilities our fine vessel has to offer, including our nice and cool swimming pool, our onboard five-star restaurant -Pokémon_ - _friendly of course; we offer full-course meals for everyone aboard the S.S Julia. We also have courts for basketball and tennis, a relaxing hour at the massage clinic, and our onboard fighting ring for restless Pokémon trainers. Please refrain from battling anywhere on the ship except for these facilities –weight limit of Pokémon still applies. Now, allow me to take this time to remind everyone of the ship's other rules. To begin..._ "

Mark stopped listening to the announcement by then, only catching part of when the Captain was going over the rules of the ship, which he already knew. He started to feel himself nod off; he wanted to stay awake but he was so comfortable on that deck chair, finding the salty sea air and the sun's warm rays so relaxing. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Vitesse going slack in her chair as well, her eyes shut and breathing shallowed as she basked in the sunlight beaming down on them. She looked as ready to sleep as _he_ felt.

 _'_ _Ah the hell with it,'_ Mark capitulated, folding his arms across his lap and yawning once more before shutting his tired eyes and letting himself slip away into the world of dreams...

Randy sighed long and hard as he sat waiting on the bench for his ship to arrive, staring at the handheld game in his hand, flipping it shut with annoyance. "Couldn't have even had _one_ more level for me to play?" He asked, stuffing the portable game into his backpack and shaking his head.

Next to him, Cairo was sitting legs crossed, eyes shut with both paws folded across his lap. A light breeze blowing around them from the sea, tossing the scarf he wore around his neck as he sat in a seemingly meditative state, silent and focused, as still as a statue. Randy looked at his Pokémon, grimacing as he stared at Cairo's closed eyes, wondering how such an active Pokémon –such a fighting machine could be so cool-headed out of battle, like a robot that could just shut itself off.

' _I envy how he can remain so chill_ ,' he thought.

On a whim, he turned to look out to sea, and noticed a ship approaching the dock. Wondering if it was the vessel he was waiting for, he stood up and looked at his watch, checking the time; seven twenty-six. The boat he was waiting for was set to arrive at seven thirty. "That must be it," he said, nodding before lowering his arm. "Cairo?"

With a twitch of his ears, Cairo's red eyes reopened, and he looked up at his trainer. "Time to get moving, boy," he said, shouldering his backpack. "Our ship is about to come in."

Cairo nodded, uncrossing his legs and hopping off the bench, stretching his legs before joining his trainer as they headed for the terminal to get through their gate. Once through the metal detectors and onto the docks, he let Cairo back out of his ball once more, and fell in with the crowd, bouncing on his heels as he waited for the ship to make port.

"A trip to Kanto, to go to a convention," Randy muttered, chuckling. "Hell, of a way to start my retirement from Champion."

They stood waiting patiently as the ship slowly docked. It was a long process, watching it come in and drop anchor in the harbour, and it took even longer for the crews to get the gangplanks up to allow any passengers that were going ashore to disembark. He and the rest of the crowd around him were standing for at least an hour before the lines started to move towards the boarding ramps, ascending to the ship.

Randy was mere steps away when someone bulled their way past him, catching him off guard and ruining his balance. Cairo caught him before he could fall onto his backside, helping him stay on his feet as he got his bearings. "Hey, watch out, will you?" He asked his assailant, looking up to face them.

He was greeted instead with a wall of men and women, all dressed identically in white suits and dark sunglasses, hair styled back and with briefcases and tickets in hand, ignoring Randy and the other passengers as they marched in near-perfect sync towards the boarding ramps, ascending to the deck of the ship. Randy arched an eyebrow at the spectacle, unsure of what to make of it as he watched the group pass by.

' _The hell is the story with these guys; secret society or some shit?'_ He thought.

He looked at Cairo, noticing an intense look on his face. He apparently liked these strangely dressed individuals even less than Randy; his red eyes were fixed into glares as he watched each one of them pass, never losing that expression until the last of them disappeared over the top of the ramps.

"Suspicious looking bunch, huh boy?" Randy asked, earning a nod and a grunt from the Lucario. "We better keep our eyes open on this trip."

Rejoining the line of people boarding the ship, they eventually made it up to the deck; Randy flashed his ticket to the crew waiting on top, before receiving the keys to his cabin and making his way there to drop off his luggage. He had little difficulty finding it as the ship had a very simple layout with many signs to guide passengers to the common areas; a short walk along the deck and he found a door with a number matching the one on his key.

Opening the door, he dropped his bag inside, before shutting the door again. Tipping his glasses, he glanced at Cairo. "Let's go exploring," he suggested. "It's a long six hours to Kanto; might as well get cozy."

Cairo nodded to him again, and followed his trainer back up the corridor. But halfway down, Cairo suddenly froze mid-step, the dreadlocks on the back of his head twitching as he halted. He shut his eyes, and said locks splayed out as he stood, focused. It took Randy a few seconds to notice Cairo wasn't at his side; he turned, seeing the Lucario standing in his meditative state, tilting his head curiously at his Pokémon.

"What's wrong, Cairo?" He asked.

The Lucario's eyes opened, letting out a grunt to his trainer before he strode past him, waving for Randy to follow. With a helpless shrug, Randy did so, striding after Cairo and dodging an incoming couple as they headed along the rail of the ship, towards the stern.

They cleared the wall of cabin doors, stepping out onto the open deck and finding themselves by the pool area, where previously boarded passengers were gathered; children and adults were swimming in the pool, teens playing basketball at the courts and an odd number of others were relaxing in the sun... including a pair that Randy recognized.

Ahead of him were two deck chairs, occupied by a Pokémon –a Blaziken, and its trainer. The Blaziken, a female by the size of the crest growing from the back of her head, stood out for the accessory worn across her body –a harness that slung around her collar and around her side at the base of her ribcage. On her shoulder was a plate imbedded with a Blazikenite; a Blaziken's mega stone, light yellow on the outside with a twisting shape in the middle that was red and black in colour.

As for her trainer, it was a fair-skinned, blond-haired youth wearing a white sleeveless shirt and blue shorts, over six feet tall –probably even the same height as the Blaziken sleeping in the adjacent chair. He had a stocky upper body –not exactly muscular but certainly athletic, and he wore nothing on his feet, showing calloused and well-travelled plantar.

"No freaking way," Randy muttered as it dawned on him just who he was looking at, eyes wide and glasses sliding down his nose slightly until he pushed them back up. "Well what are the odds?"

Cairo let out a rumble of agreement, glancing at his trainer. Neither one had anticipated they would run into Mark Taylor again anytime soon after Randy wrested the Champion title from him, and yet there he was, sleeping on a deck chair in the hot summer sun, with Vitesse –the Blaziken that had beaten two of Randy's Pokémon and nearly defeated a third all in one battle- free from her Poké Ball and sleeping in the next chair over from her trainer, both happily oblivious to who had joined them on the ship.

"What do you think, boy? Should we wake them up and say hello?" Randy asked.

Cairo eyed him questioningly, as though to ask if he was being serious.

"No, boy; of course I'm joking," Randy returned. "Last thing I want is a grumpy Blaziken kicking me in the face."

Almost as if she knew someone was talking about her, Vitesse suddenly stirred, raising her head from its resting point and shaking it to clear it before glancing sleepily over at Randy, her blue eyes widening in recognition after staring at him for a few seconds.

"Not the face!" Randy said, partly in jest and mockingly putting up his arms.

Vitesse reached over to Mark, gently poking him in the shoulder and clucking at him until he awoke. The blond-haired trainer rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked over at her. "What's wrong, girl?" He asked, groggy, before following where she was looking and spotting Randy and Cairo staring back a him. His eyes bugged wide open, and he rubbed them again as though doubting what he was seeing. "Randy Calvin?" He asked, shocked.

"The one and only," Randy replied, beaming and shaking his head in disbelief. "Mark Taylor; never thought I'd run into you, here of all places."  
"That makes two of us," Mark returned, standing up from his chair and looking around. "Are we in Mossdeep?" He asked.

"Yeah; ship made port here."

Mark exhaled sharply, tilting his head a little. "I slept the whole trip," he said. "I _must_ have been tired."

"You disembarking here?" Randy asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder with an arched eyebrow.

"No; I'm on my way to Kanto, actually," Mark replied, looking at Randy.

"Same here," Randy replied. "Going there for a convention, actually."

"What kind of convention?"

Randy shrugged. "Comic books, video games, popular culture; what other kinds are there?"

"The kind teachers go to," Mark returned bluntly. "Whatever the heck they do on those. My mom always just said they were looking for excuses to close school." He shrugged.

Randy looked at Mark as though he were a weirdo, an eyebrow arched and his head turned to the side slightly. "Have you _ever_ been to a convention, man?"

"No," Mark returned, plainly.

" _Dude_. You need to get out more."

Mark gave him a stern look. "I have more important things to do with my time, thank you."

"Oh yeah? Well then, what're _you_ heading for Kanto for?"

"A new journey," Mark replied, looking over his shoulder at Vitesse briefly; the Blaziken had by now stood up from her chair and was standing with Mark, just behind him.

"To do what?" Randy asked, drawing out the third word of the question.

Mark scowled at him. "What interest is it to you?" He asked. "You've got your destinations, I've got mine. That is all that either of us need to know."

"Well hey; I told you where I'm going, didn't think it'd hurt to ask," he replied. "Didn't think you'd take it so personally."

Mark scoffed at him, and Randy gave him another quizzical look. "Hey, come on; you're not still upset over losing the Champion title to me, are you?"

Mark stood, unflinching, for a few seconds as though processing what Randy had just asked him, before letting out a long, defeated sigh. "I was never upset," he replied. "Well, okay maybe that's a lie; disappointed probably counts as being upset, in its own way. But it was a legitimate win on your part; I was ill-prepared for your deceptive tactics, and your team was pretty well-trained." He looked past Randy, towards the Lucario standing behind him. "Especially him."

At that, Cairo beamed, adjusting his scarf and humming contentedly to the compliment. Randy glanced back at Cairo briefly before turning to Mark again. "Well if that's not what's bugging you, what's wrong with telling me?"

Mark sighed again. "It's... just something personal," he replied.

Randy rolled his eyes in exasperation, only to perk up again a second later as he had an idea. "Tell you what; how about a rematch?"

Mark glanced at him. "Rematch?" He echoed.

"Sure," replied Randy. "I did say I wanted to battle you again sometime after we last met; we've got six to seven hours to kill before this ship reaches Kanto so why not?" He crossed his arms. "You win, I leave you alone. If I win, you tell me why you're heading to Kanto. Sound like a deal?"

"You _really_ want to know that much you'd fight me for it?" Mark asked, questioningly.

"Like you have anything better to do?" Randy countered in a very matter-of-fact voice.

Mark twitched at that, unable to deny that Randy indeed had a point. He had slept the whole trip to Mossdeep, and now that he was awake and with time to spare as they headed north, there really _wasn't_ any reason for him not to accept the challenge. Although he had intended to battle Randy again someday –maybe as a way to conclude his journey since he was the first trainer, besides his mother, to beat Mark in quite a while.

In fact, prior to facing Randy, the last battles Mark could remember losing were only against Gym Leaders, particularly Brawly of Dewford Island, as at the time he didn't have anything to counter Fighting-types, Winona of Fortree City, who used Flying-types, and Wallace of Sootopolis City, a Water-type trainer. He had eventually won against them, but after that he never lost, not against any trainers on Victory Road, his mother, the Elite Four or against Steven Stone, or any title matches after for several months running. Could that have attributed to his loss against Randy; overconfidence? Complacency?

He didn't think about it for long, as he had left Randy somewhat hanging, waiting on his answer. With a slow, exaggerated shrug and a shake of his head, Mark replied, "why the hell not?" Letting his arms fall at his sides, he looked at Randy again. "Okay; you're on, Randy. Let me go get the rest of my Pokémon, and then I'll join you in the fighting ring."

"The ship has a fighting ring?" Randy asked.

Ironically, in the midst of their conversation, the captain had been giving his welcome speech over the intercom. No sooner did Randy ask about the ring did the announcement mention the ship's recreational facilities. "... _massage clinic, and our onboard fighting ring for restless Pokémon trainers. Please refrain from battling anywhere on the ship except for these facilities –weight limit of Pokémon still applies."_

"Does that answer your question?" Mark asked.

"Yes... yes it does."

Mark and Randy, accompanied by Vitesse and Cairo, pushed open the doors to the fighting arena and stepped inside, finding a few trainers already lined up to battle. Mark had hoped that with the ship having only just begun to leave Mossdeep and new embarked passengers settling in the arena would be clear. No such luck, unfortunately, and so they were forced to wait, watching a battle taking place between two trainers a little younger than they were.

One of them, a brown-haired trainer wearing a sports jersey for a baseball team, was battling using a Cacturne –a scarecrow-like Grass/Dark-type Pokémon, evolved from a Cacnea, with a lime green body covered in thorns and spikes, as well as having a head shaped to look like it was wearing the stereotypical hat you might find on a scarecrow. Meanwhile, their opponent, a black-haired trainer wearing a sleeveless shirt, was using a Grumpig –a Psychic-type pig Pokémon, light purple and black in colour, with a tail shaped like a coiled spring –carried over from its pre-evolved form, Spoink.

As a Dark-type, Cacturne had the advantage off the bat; the trainer with the black hair had made a poor choice. Mark had battled enough Grumpig to know that it could not naturally learn moves that might have some effect against Cacturne –such moves being Bug, Ice, Flying, Fire, Fairy and Fighting-type –sure, Cacturne had a lot of weaknesses to exploit, but its advantage lay in its good-all-around ability –it could fight at any range, even at a distance.

Although, he recalled, it could learn _one_ move that might help...

As if reading his mind, the owning trainer of the Grumpig ordered his Pokémon to use Bounce. The pig Pokémon leapt forward, turning himself over to let his tail catch him before launching himself airborne, arching through the air and plunging at the Cacturne.

But he would turn out to regret his move; the Cacturne used a Spiky Shield to defend itself, crossing its arms in front of it and sprouting a protecting carapace shell covered in spikes; the Grumpig collided with this shield, suffering a few shallow puncture wounds before the Cacturne threw him off, and then finished him with a Needle Arm attack, dropping his shield and instead backhanding the Grumpig with his spiky right arm.

With that, the Grumpig's trainer had lost the battle. After collecting their Pokémon, the two trainers left, and allowing the next pair to step up for their own turn as Mark and Randy waited for theirs. Fortunately, to make sure everyone could have a turn in the battle room, only one-on-one matches were allowed, and the room had video surveillance to make sure that rule was followed.

The battle was thankfully short; a contest between two very common Pokémon –a Swellow and a Mightyena, which the former won due to being able to fly and being faster. After that was a much more heated matchup, between a Machoke and a Hariyama, which the former won due to having superior strength, successfully subduing its opponent. With that battle concluded, now it was Mark and Randy's turn.

The two took their positions, accompanied by their respective Pokémon partners. Vitesse and Cairo both clearly thought their trainers were going to pick them for the rematch, as they were already starting to step into the arena, when Randy seemed to have an idea, and said. "Hold up a sec, Cairo."

 _"_ _Ar?_ " The Lucario asked, questioningly, looking back at his trainer.

Randy then called out across the field to Mark, using one hand to amplify his voice so that Mark could hear him clearly. "Hey Mark; do you have any new Pokémon –any you didn't use in our battle?"

Mark was about to answer Randy when he caught the words on his tongue, remembering that there was indeed _one_ he had that Randy hadn't seen yet, that being Coal. "Yeah, I've got one. Why?"

"Just got to thinking," Randy called. "When last, we battled you only saw four of my Pokémon. At this moment, I'm carrying the same team I had then, including the two I didn't get to use. I thought I'd level the playing field by having us both use one that the other hadn't seen yet." He glanced at Cairo. "Originally, I had this whole idea of Mega Evolving Cairo and having him duke it out with Vitesse in some sort of epic rematch, but I think this would be even more fun –picking up where we left off, so to speak."

Mark couldn't remember what other Pokémon Randy had even though he saw them appear on the screen at the Hoenn League when Randy had registered himself as Champion. All he could remember were the four he battled; a Zoroark, a Salamence, the Sceptile named Thorn, and of course Cairo. Still, the idea intrigued him, and the day before he'd had a good battle with Coal already; knowing the little Charmeleon for who he was, he wanted to have another go as soon as possible.

"Alright, works for me," Mark agreed, glancing at Vitesse, who nodded back in understanding. She stepped off the field, walking over to stand next to her trainer to spectate instead.

When Cairo was back at Randy's side, the trainer felt around his belt and grasped one Poké Ball, lifting it free and expanding it to its full size with the tap of a button, waiting as Mark selected his choice from in his vest.

"You ready?" Randy asked.

"After you," Mark returned with a wry smile.

"If you insist," Randy returned, grinning as he tossed the Poké Ball out to the field. "Come on out, Velox!"

The ball popped open before touching the ground, releasing the Pokémon contained within. The white light of energy struck the ground, rapidly taking shape and materializing into flesh and bone, revealing a pale Pokémon that seemed to be crossed between a mongoose and a cat, with the tall pointe ears of the latter, but its remaining features more rodent-like except for the black claws growing at the end of its paws. It stood upon its hind legs, had a bushy tail, and was mostly white except for one ear, a jagged pattern on its chest, and its forepaws all sharing the same shade of pink. Like Cairo, this Zangoose also wore a scarf, but unlike Cairo this scarf wasn't an ordinary one; it wore a _Silk_ _Scarf_ –a battle accessory for strengthening Normal-type moves.

"A Zangoose," Mark commented. "Interesting choice."

"Let's see what you've got for him," Randy replied, eager to get the battle started.

"Alright then," Mark agreed, holding up the Poké Ball in his hand, smiling slight. ' _Coal gets a second battle in one week; he's going to love this,_ ' he thought _. 'But I have to remember what mom said; he doesn't fully understand my strategies yet so I have to keep this simple for him –build up his confidence some more and teach him to think outside the box._ '

"Just make sure you don't underestimate this little guy; he might surprise you!" He drew back his hand and hurled the ball forward. "Coal, you're up!"

The ball opened, and the Charmeleon took shape before even reaching the ground, letting out a growl of excitement as he landed on both feet in the battlefield, raising his head to meet the gaze of his Zangoose opponent, Velox.

Randy's eyebrows twitched. "A Charmeleon; where'd you catch that? They aren't found in Hoenn."

"Long story," Mark replied. "You ready to begin?"

Randy shrugged. "Alright; let's go."

The two trainers, eyes drifting between one another and their Pokémon, got the battle underway. Mark waited for Randy to make a move first, remembering from their past battle that he was highly dependent on speed over power; it was a safe assumption his Zangoose –another species known for being quick on its feet, would be trained in this manner as well. Even if Coal were to move first Velox might still be too quick for him, and his mother's advice from the previous day was still fresh in his mind.

' _If your opponent does not intend to strike first, it pays to use that time to hinder them or bolster yourself.'_

Mark narrowed his gaze, plotting carefully. ' _Randy uses speed and a bit of trickery to win his battles. I should assume that Zangoose gives testament to that tactic as well. Maybe I can use a bit of trickery myself.'_ Mark's eyes widened slightly, knowing how to begin, and he gave Coal his first command. "Smokescreen!"

Coal inhaled sharply before exhaling a cloud of smoke from his mouth that quickly covered the battlefield, obscuring him from view just as Randy was issuing a command to Velox, causing him to pause as they suddenly could no longer see their target.

"Velox, hold your ground!" Randy instructed. "Wait for the smoke to thin out!"

Mark couldn't see over the smoke, but he could hear Randy's command to his Zangoose, bringing a slight smile to his face; Randy thought that Mark was planning to have Coal ambush Velox from inside the smokescreen. A wise precaution, as many Pokémon of the evolution line Charmeleon was part of were powerful physical fighters and getting up close to them without the element of surprise could prove disastrous, but Coal was not among those

Seizing the opportunity, he issued Coal's next command. "Flame Burst!"

From the concealment of the smoke, a fireball erupted into view, heading for the Zangoose. Velox reacted almost instantly, dodging to the side to avoid the fireball, but not the embers that erupted when it struck the varnished floor; several of the burning sparks landed upon his arm and one on his cheek, making him yowl in annoyance, waving his arm as if it were burning.

"Again!" Mark called.

"Velox, Detect!"

The Zangoose's eyes flashed, watching the smoke, and even before he saw the fireball he was already moving out of the way again, this time running further to the side to avoid even the explosion of embers. As the smoke started to clear, Randy issued an attack order to Velox, sending him charging at the Charmeleon, approaching swiftly and attacking with Crush Claw. The nimble Charmeleon managed to avoid the attack, but just barely, and he could not get away fast enough use any of his Special Attacks, forcing him into a contest of claws with the Zangoose, to which Velox had the edge.

Coal was a close second to him in speed, but in a contest of attack power, he would not last long against the Zangoose. Mark thought quickly, searching for a solution before he ordered Coal to use Headbutt, hoping it worked. Just as their claws clashed again, Coal lunged forward, delivering a punishing blow to Velox's head with his own, making stars dance across the eyes of the Pokémon and stunning him just long enough for Mark to issue the next command.

"Smokescreen again!"

Once more the Charmeleon belched a cloud of dark smoke, this time at close range, causing Velox to get caught in it as well. As he cleared the stars from his eyes, Velox attempted another Crush Claw on Coal, but the Charmeleon dodged, and retreated into the fog until not even his flaming tail was visible.

"Velox, get out of there!" Randy called.

Following his trainer's voice, the Zangoose strode towards him, running with a half-lidded gaze to keep the smoke out of his eyes, even sneezing as he accidentally inhaled some of it. Within a few seconds, he was back out in the open and within sight of his trainer. "You okay, fella?"

The Zangoose wrinkled his nose, chittering in annoyance before coughing to clear his airways of the smoke. Meanwhile, Mark subtly issued his next command to Coal. "Scary Face."

As Velox turned to look back into the cloud and waited for it to clear and Randy began to give him instruction on what to do next, the Charmeleon suddenly burst out of the smoke, letting out a horrifying shriek right in the Zangoose's face and putting on the most wild and intimidating look he could muster, mouth wide open to reveal all his teeth and eyes wide with his pupils contracted to the size of beads. The Charmeleon's sudden appearance combined with that face sent a shiver right up Velox's back, startling the Zangoose so badly he jumped away with a yelp. Even Randy was startled by Coal's little jump scare, flinching and letting out a slight yelp of his own and interrupting the instructions he had been giving his Pokémon.

Hearing that his trick had worked, Mark hurried to give the next command. "Dragon Pulse!"

Coal relaxed his expression, and then fired the blast of dragonic energy from his mouth swiftly. Velox tried to get out of the way, but the successful Scary Face was still in effect, and he was sluggish to respond, taking the hit directly and sending him faceplanting into the floor.

"Velox, you okay?" Randy asked.

The Zangoose rolled over onto his back, sitting up carefully and looking at his trainer with a nod. "Don't blame you for that one, boy; that face scared _me_ too."

By now, Coal had withdrawn back into his smokescreen again, returning to his side of the field once more. Sensing the battle was in their favor, Mark ordered Coal to fire another Flame Burst, hoping to draw Velox back into attacking again. The fireball struck the ground outside of the smokescreen, once more showering the Zangoose with annoying embers when the initial blast failed to connect, bringing out an angry chitter from him.

"Hang in there, boy!" Randy called. "The smoke's starting to clear! Hone Claws!"

The Zangoose began to rub his claws together as though trying to sharpen them, a brief flash of dark energy shining over them he did this, and when it faded the claws indeed looked distinctively sharper as a result of the bolstering move, raising Velox's attack strength in the process. Randy intended to finish this with one more attack; Velox was already pretty battered up, and if he didn't take out Coal now, he might lose to Mark this time.

Finally, the smoke dissipated, revealing Coal's position as he fired another Flame Burst at Velox, and Randy issued the final attack command. "Crush Claw!"

The Zangoose chattered madly before he charged forth, rushing at Coal as fast as he could run. Even after having his speed reduced by Scary Face, the Zangoose was still swift, closing the distance within seconds as he made a beeline straight for Coal, drawing back his claws for the final swipe...

But the attack would never land. Because in just that _one_ use of Scary Face, Coal had become faster than the Zangoose, and dodged out of the path of the attack, dodging the wind-shredding swipe of the claws and leaving Velox wide-open for a counter attack. "Dragon Pulse!" Mark commanded.

Not even at his _full_ speed could Velox have dodged at this range. Coal opened his maw, and blasted the Zangoose with one final attack, sending him flying from the force of impact. The Zangoose cartwheeled through the air before landing outside of the ring, going still and letting out a long moan as he lay there in defeat. Were he not rendered half-conscious by the attack, he would have lost anyway by ring out, and thus the battle was over with Mark's little Charmeleon standing as the winner.

"Well I'll be damned," Randy commented before he left his spot to run over to Velox and check on him.

Mark was positively brimming with pride and ecstasy as the battle reached its conclusion, pumping his fist and smiling widely before he turned to Coal. "Great work, boy!"

The Charmeleon let out a rumble of reply, running over to Mark and launching himself into his arms, where the two embraced. The Charmeleon was practically purring with joy, having his second win in just that week alone, and receiving his congratulations from his trainer filled the Charmeleon with happiness. Even more so when Vitesse stepped view and petted the back of his neck, cooing at him in compliment and letting him know how proud she was.

Meanwhile Randy and Cairo were attending to their defeated comrade, giving the Zangoose some Super Potion for the pain and feeding him a couple of berries. "Good try, fella," Randy said softly to the Zangoose, rubbing his head gratuitously before producing the Zangoose's Poké Ball from his pocket. "Now, take a breather."

The Zangoose nodded, and shut his eyes as Randy activated the ball's recall function, drawing Velox back into its confines where he'd have a peaceful rest. With that, Randy shrank the ball down, putting it into compact mode where he returned it to his belt and stood up, turning in Mark's direction to see the trio celebrating the victory. He approached them, accompanied by Cairo as usual, and spoke up to get their attention, offering a hand to Mark.

"Good battle, Mark," he said. "You sure haven't lost your touch this past year."

Mark smiled, and in a show of sportsmanship, he shook hands with Randy. "I was a little worried for a second there, but Coal here had it covered." Mark bade, looking at the Charmeleon now hanging off his shoulders.

"I'll say," Randy replied with a light-hearted laugh. "Not going to lie, that Scary Face of his spooked _me_ too. Little guy could star in a horror movie with that."

As if to emphasize, Coal put on the face again, eliciting a guttural croaking sound from his throat as if to laugh as Randy backed up instinctively from that face. Cairo, unlike his trainer, was unfazed, blinking his eyes at Coal before glancing at his trainer as if to say 'Really, you found that scary?'

"Hey, you're the one with Steadfast, buddy," Randy retorted.

"Um, Randy? That is _not_ how Steadfast works."

"Shut up," Randy said, leering at Mark, to which the other trainer rolled his eyes. "Well anyway," Randy began, relaxing his gaze and letting out a sigh. "I agreed to leave you alone if you won so, I won't ask about why you're going to Kanto."

Mark pursed his lips in thought as Randy finished speaking, looking over his shoulder at Vitesse, who simply shrugged in reply. With a sigh, Mark turned back to Randy again. "Tell you what," he began. "Let's go get something to eat from the dining hall; I'll tell you about it there."

Randy arched an eyebrow. "Why the sudden change of heart?" He asked.

"I was cranky, and you were just curious," Mark replied, shrugging. "Besides, it's not like I'm really trying to hide why I'm going there so _maybe_ I was being unreasonable."

Randy smiled slightly before he too shrugged. "Alright; if you want to talk about it, let's go." He bade.

With that, the two left the battle arena, turning and heading up the deck in the direction of the dining area. Along the way, though, Mark paused mid-step, and then let out a groan. "Shit..." He said.

"What?" Randy asked.

"I slept through the landing in Mossdeep; I was going to let Tanker out for an hour or two so he could get something to eat himself!" Mark cursed. "Dammit; I shouldn't have gone to sleep!"

"We're going to the dining hall; can't you just feed him there?"

"I can't let him out; the ship has an imposed weight limit on Pokémon," Mark replied. "One he exceeds by about four hundred pounds."

"Oh," Randy replied, and then put a hand to his chin in thought, snapping his fingers as an idea came to mind. "Let's go to the onboard Pokémon Centre first; you can send him to the Pokémon Storage Service –they could feed him."

"I hate to part from him, but I don't want him to be hungry all the way to Kanto," Mark admitted. "Alright; I guess that's what I'll have to do."

"Right this way; I saw it when I came on board," Randy stated, beckoning Mark to follow him as he and Cairo took the lead and continued up the deck, followed close behind by Mark, still with Coal draped around his shoulders and Vitesse bringing up the rear.

During their conversation, one of the white-suited individuals Randy had seen earlier had walked past them, ducking around a corner and watching the three as they left. After which, he looked around to make sure he was alone before reaching into his pocket for a miniature radio, holding it up to his mouth and speaking softly into it. "Starboard Watch #4, in position; already spotted some potential collectibles for the operation. Shall I pursue?"

 _"_ _Negative; do not make a move too soon. Hold position until you hear the signal."_

"Copy that; four out." And with that, he promptly pocketed the radio, vying instead to walk over to the railing and pretend to watch the school of Whailmer swimming alongside the boat, waiting until the time was right...


	5. Chapter 4

Following their brief visit to the ship's onboard Pokémon Centre, Mark and Randy were seated in the dining hall, enjoying some lunch after their earlier battle. Mark was in the process of explaining the reasons for his journey to Kanto to Randy, who listened attentively while simultaneously enjoying a bowl of ramen. He was greatly intrigued by Mark's story, at one point even stating that it was an 'ambitious idea'.

When Mark concluded, Randy spoke his thoughts on the matter. "So, you're out to challenge yourself by battling trainers from the other regions," he said, nodding in approval. "Certainly an interesting idea, I'll give you that."

Mark chuckled. "My mom at first thought I was biting off more than I could chew with it, so she demanded that I pass her test before leaving."

"What sort of test?"

"A battle, of course," Mark returned matter-of-factly. "My mom's a frequent competitor at the Battle Resort; she goes to the Chateau there almost daily, challenging scores of trainers."

Randy raised his eyebrows. "She sounds strong."

"Oh, believe me, she is," Mark replied. "She could be one of the Elite Four if she so wanted."

"So, this test," Randy stated, earning a nod of confirmation from Mark. "Did you pass?"

"Sure did," Mark replied. "Ironically, I battled her with Coal as well."

"Really?" Randy asked. "Huh; that _is_ ironic; beat me with the same Pokémon that got you started." He let Mark take a bite of his own meal before voicing his next question. "Speaking of, where _did_ you get a Charmeleon all the way out here? Have you been to Kanto before?"

Mark shook his head. "No, never; this is my first time leaving Hoenn in my whole life," Mark replied, taking a sip from the glass of water in front of him before he began to explain. "Not long before I first met you, I was wandering past the daycare over near Mauville –you know the one?" He waited for the nod from Randy before continuing. "While passing, I saw this trainer just losing his _shit_ over something, screaming at the old couple that runs the place.

"I stepped in, telling him to cool off; he responded in kind by screaming at _me_ instead. From what I gathered, apparently a Pokémon he'd left there had hooked up with another in the day care yard, resulting in the female of the two –a Charizard- laying an egg. Now _this_ guy, a wannabe 'dragon master' –y'know, like Lance or Drake? He didn't want it, and he was acting like his Hydreigon had been tainted by the Charizard or something."

Randy arched an eyebrow. "That's kind of stupid; why was he so upset? Lots of Dragon-type trainers have a Charizard; not only because it looks like one but it also Mega Evolves _into_ one."

"I don't know what his problem was," Mark replied. "Naturally I ended up having to battle him just to shut him up. Vitesse made short work of his Hydreigon, and then he left. The couple then asked if I knew anyone who might be interested in the egg."

"Why wouldn't they just give it to the Charizard's trainer when they came back?"

"Apparently that Charizard was abandoned," Mark replied. "And the couple had grown rather fond of her because she helped chase away wild Pokémon that would wander into the area and upset any others they were taking care of, so they kept her, but they thought the egg deserved a better home than living in a daycare. Eventually, I offered to take it for them."

"So, you had Coal even when you and I battled?" Randy asked.

"I did, but he had only just hatched; he was just a baby," Mark replied. "I wasn't about to throw an infant at a fully grown Lucario."

Randy nodded in understanding, satisfied with the answer.

"That reminds me," Mark began, eyeing Randy with a look of intrigue. "My turn to ask a question now; when you and I first battled, I noticed two common themes with all of your Pokémon choices, at least of the four I saw."

"Yeah?"

"For starters, you have a heavy focus on speed," Mark began. "Zoroark, Salamence, Sceptile, Lucario; all of those Pokémon are known for being swift. But you also were very deceptive with your methods, such as tricking me with your Zoroark's Illusion power, and making your Salamence _appear_ to be a Special Attacker with strike and retreat tactics, when it was in fact a master of Physical Attacks, as unfortunately Siren found out when I called her out after he beat Tanker."

"She," Randy corrected. "Skyclaw's female."

"Oh. Sorry," Mark returned. "Anyway, you also had Thorn and Cairo, each with their own tricks that I just couldn't predict no matter how many of _both_ those Pokémon I've fought before. Like knowing _Focus Blast_ ; how the heck does a Sceptile learn Focus Blast?"

"Just about _all_ Pokémon can learn it," Randy stated. "But it has to be through technical machine or tutoring; there aren't any that learn it naturally. Least none I'm aware of."

"Right, but I'm getting side-tracked," Mark carried on. "My point is, I saw that same reliance on speed with Velox during that battle we had earlier. Now, that wasn't such a big issue as Coal was able to match Velox in speed just fine, but I didn't see as much by way of unpredictable tactics from you there. Is Velox used with a different sort of strategy?"

Randy chuckled at that. "Well, to tell you the truth, I didn't use any of Velox's tricky moves because, well, I couldn't."

"Say wha?" Mark asked.

"Well, let me put it this way," Randy began. "If I had known you had another Fire-type, I would've picked my sixth Pokémon, which was a Starmie. But I didn't know what Pokémon you had I hadn't seen yet so I went with a normal type –the good-all-around type with only one weakness. That ended up being a mistake."

"How?"

"Velox knows Dig, which he couldn't use because the floor we battled on was made of wood," Randy continued. "However, the rest of his attacks are meant for, as you described, my deceptive tactics. See my usual approach with Velox is to use Taunt, make his opponent come at him, then use Dig to get out of their way and ambush them while they're frenzied.

"I couldn't use dig –as I said, and you used Smokescreen before I could use Taunt, so Coal wouldn't have seen the taunt and therefore wouldn't have been affected by it. The last thing that worked against me is, unlike Thorn and Gemstar, Velox is a Physical Attacker only, because Zangoose have _terrible_ Special Attack strength, but he couldn't risk getting close without running right into that smoke, where the entire battle would be in your favour."

Mark sat there, speechless for a moment, before letting out a simple. "Wow," and then said, "I legitimately had no idea."

Randy chuckled. "Part of a battle _is_ luck; all trainers know that," he stated. "Not saying that you were lucky to have won, just that you happened to make _exactly_ the right moves to win." He snickered. "And that Charmeleon of yours has got some promise."

Mark smiled. "That he does," he said in agreement. "And he's adored by the other Pokémon -I mean, Vitesse's practically his mother, and he's best friends with Fang. Even Siren and Palm Tree play with him sometimes –although, Tanker, not so much."

"Why not?"

"Tanker's a powerhouse but if there's one thing he isn't, it's social," Mark replied. "He doesn't really interact with the others that much beyond what's necessary as being part of the same team."

Randy grunted at that. "Well they do say it's always the quiet ones you have to look out for," he remarked.

"Yeah that's true," Mark agreed.

With that, the two of them finished their meals, splitting the bill on their way out and leaving a tip for the waitress that had served them. Once outside, Mark decided to let out Fang, producing the Mightyena's Poké Ball and letting him get some fresh, sea air. Fang yipped as he felt sunlight upon his fur, looking at Mark and panting happily.

"Feel like going for a run, boy?" Mark asked, earning a bark in reply.

"I guess we part ways from here, eh?" Randy asked.

"Guess so," Mark replied. "I'll see you later."

"Take 'er easy," Randy replied, giving Mark a two-fingered salute.

With that, the blond trainer and his Mightyena broke into a gentle run, leaving him behind while they went for their jog along the deck. When they rounded the corner, and left his sight, Randy stuffed his hands into his pockets and began walking the other way, humming to himself as he wondered what to do with his time.

Mark and Fang ran a full circuit around the ship, already panting for breath and sweaty by the time the time they slowed down, but kept going. Mark's apparent fatigue was, to him, a sign that he wasn't in as good a shape as he used to be, and so he decided to push himself further; going on this new journey would certainly help him get fit again, but it bothered him that he'd let himself get so complacent since he'd left the Hoenn League.

By the time he couldn't run anymore, he had already made another half-circuit around the ship, and that was when he knew he needed a shower. He walked the rest of the way back to his room, with Fang padding along at his side, licking his lips to catch the salivation flowing from his mouth as he panted for breath.

Stepping through the door of his cabin, Mark looked for something to use as a bowl to give Fang some water, but he couldn't find anything in the cabinets over his sink. Instead he resorted to taking the saucepan he'd brought with him from his bags, filling it up with water and laying it on the floor to let Fang have a drink.

With that, Mark headed into the bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping into it after removing his clothes, keeping the water cool as he already felt overheated from the run. While inside, an announcement buzzed over the intercom, but he was lost in thought and the sound was muffled by the water running, preventing him from hearing it clearly.

When he finally heard the electronic voice ringing through the walls, he tried to shut off the water to listen, but it was already over before he could catch enough it to understand what it was about. "Shit; what was that?" Mark asked, getting out of the shower and grabbing a towel, hurriedly drying himself off before pulling his clothes back on and stepping out. He stared up at the intercom, waiting to see if they would give the announcement again.

When it didn't come, he sighed. "Well if it was important, they'll give it again," he said, before sitting down on his bed and scooting up against the back wall, reaching into his knapsack for a book to read while he waited.

Captain Raven set down the microphone transmitter in his hand as he finished the announcement, sighing shamefully before he turned to look back at the man standing behind him, twirling a gold coin through his fingers. "Alright, I did what you asked me to," he said. "But you better not hurt _anyone_ in that hall."

"You're not in a position to be making demands, Captain," Marvin returned with a confident smile as he continued playing with his coin. "But I promise you, as long as they cooperate, no one will be harmed. And the same goes for you and your crew, once we finish rounding them up."

"They'll cooperate," Raven returned, reluctantly. "Though not as much as my _first mate_ did," he remarked, glaring at a portly man standing in the corner. "Hope you're proud of yourself, William. All these years sailing together, and you give in to bribery so that these men can rob the people that're under our care?"

"You wouldn't get it, Captain; you've got a good pension waiting when you retire," William returned. "Me, I've ten years left before I'm at the right age, and I'm _not_ spending it all wasting my life on a creaky old boat. With what they're paying me, I can live nice and cozy for the rest of my life."

"I always thought you were lazy but _this_ takes it to another level," Raven spat. "When we're in port, I _will_ make you regret this."

"You really think I'm going to be on this boat long enough for you to do that?" William asked, letting out a laugh, his portly belly shaking with every chuckle. "I'm leaving with these guys once they're done, and my first stop is the Orange Islands, where I'm getting a seaside cabana, and a..."

"Oh, _do_ be quiet," Marvin interrupted William with a scornful tone. "We paid you to get our men on board, not go on gallivanting about your early retirement plans."

His words silenced William, and with that, Marvin turned to the three men standing behind him, all three in matching attire –white suits and sunglasses to hide their eyes. "Send word to the other agents to do one last sweep of the cabins and the decks; make sure every passenger has relocated to the dining hall. If any haven't, usher them there, and if they refuse, subdue them and take them by force. Furthermore, order them to start sweeping the cabins as well; not everyone will have their Pokémon and valuables on their person."

"Yes sir," the three replied in unison before they turned and marched out of the bridge.

"You two," Marvin gestured to two more of his men standing by the door. "Remain here and make sure the Captain keeps this ship on course." He then added in a low, smug tone. "And be gentle; he's an old man."

The two enforcers grinned, and with that, Marvin left the bridge, thus leaving the Captain alone with William –who took the helm to keep the ship on course, and the two thugs, who held their batons at the ready in case Raven were to get any ideas. As it stood now, the Captain had no choice; they had already disabled the long-range radio, leaving him no means to call for help even if he could fight them off, and if he tried to warn the passengers, those two men would stop him as well. All he could do was cooperate, however sick it made him...

As Mark continued reading the tales of an adventurous Pokémon Trainer from centuries ago, Fang was stirred by the sound of footsteps coming from down the corridor, standing up on all fours as he continued to listen. Mark remained oblivious to his Pokémon's sudden alertness until he heard the growl, lowering his book to glance at the Mightyena seeing him with his head lowered and eyes fixed on the door.

"Fang? What's the matter?" Mark asked, setting his book aside and sitting up.

No sooner did he ask that question did he hear a loud _bang_ , like the sound of something hitting metal, causing him to jump slightly and making Fang bare his teeth as he continued to growl.

"What in the _hell_?" Mark demanded, standing up and dashing over to the door, pulling it open and peering both ways along the exterior of the ship, until he saw someone, a woman in dark clothes he recognized all too well, standing outside of one of the cabin doors, which was now open. He stared for a moment until a second figure, this one a man but in an identical outfit, stepped out into view, carrying a bag of items in his hand.

"Hey!" Mark bellowed as he and Fang stepped out into view.

The two of them jumped at the sound of his voice, turning in his direction and peering at him. He saw the woman mouth a curse before she turned to her partner. "You said this side was cleared!" She yelled at him.

"The boys who swept this way told me it _was_!" He returned.

"Alright; we'll have to subdue this one," the woman replied as she brandished a weapon –a shock baton, like the ones Mark had seen employed by the thugs from a week ago. They started to rush at him, but Mark wasn't about to let them have the chance.

"Fang, Shadow Ball!" Mark commanded.

Fang opened his maw as a sphere of violet energy formed between his jaws, and with a bark he fired the sphere at the two thugs; they jumped to the side, avoiding the sphere, letting it strike a flagpole behind them, breaking it in two. With that, they resumed their rush at Mark, weapons ready to use on him as they closed in.

Mark steadied himself, waiting as the two got closer; the man reached him first, swinging at him with his weapon. Mark dodged by stepping backward, and struck back with a spin-kick towards the man's face, sending him careening into the rail and his weapon over the side. He recovered quickly, lunging at Mark and swinging his fist at him, but Mark deflected the clumsy punch easily and slammed his own fist into the man's nose, making him cry out and grab his face in pain.

The woman rushed him next, thrusting her baton at him; Mark stepped back, and Fang leapt into action, lunging in from the side and snatching the baton in his teeth, ripping out of the woman's hand in the process before he flung it over the side of the ship with the other one. This time the woman lashed out at Mark with a kick of her own, successfully landing one on his stomach and making him stumble back into the wall, but when she attempted another, he caught her foot mid-kick, and with a twist of his arms, he spun her off her feet and sent her face-first into the deck.

"Sorry," Mark apologized to the woman, more out of instinct than actual regret for hurting a woman; she attacked him, and that meant the gloves were off.

The man, with his nose pouring blood from the punch he'd suffered, was trying to get up when Fang snarled at him, making him back up against the rail, eyes wide in horror as he stared back at the Mightyena, those razor-sharp teeth mere inches from his face.

"Alright," Mark began, moving to stand by Fang and staring menacingly down at the man. "I remember seeing outfits like that from some time back; I still don't know who you guys are but if you're on this ship, I bet it's not for the ocean breeze." He knelt down, meeting the man's gaze. "So, get talking or my friend here starts biting."

The man seemed intent on not replying, but a snap of Fang's jaws quickly changed his mind. "We've hijacked the ship; we're here on a heist!" He blurted out. "Typical snatch & grab; rare Pokémon and valuables! That's it!"

Mark noticed the bag the man had been carrying before lying at his side, having dropped it after Mark had bloodied his nose. He reached for it, watching the woman warily as she lay groaning on the deck before he picked up the bag and looked into it, seeing several glittering objects filling the bottom of the bag; gold, silver, diamonds and other gemstones inlaid into them, even a gold watch.

He looked at the man with disgust. "Nothing but petty thieves," he said, kicking the man in the leg and making him grunt with pain. "How many of you are there?"

"Way too many for you to fight alone, pal," the man retorted defiantly.

"We'll just see about that," Mark returned before he produced a Poké Ball from his vest, tucking it behind his back and opening it to let the Pokémon inside materialize behind him.

Siren materialized from the energy released, letting out a squeal as she rose up on her tail and looked at her trainer, who had his back to her until he looked over his shoulder at her, gesturing her forward. "Hypnosis," he ordered, pointing at the man. "Put him to sleep."

She turned to face him, and her eyes glowed brightly as she cast the Hypnosis onto the man, his eyes reflecting the light as she stared into them until they fell shut and he slumped against the rail, and it was after Siren pulled her head back and ceased casting that the man let out a light snore.

"Good job, girl," Mark complimented, stroking the back of her neck. "That should keep him out until we figure out what's going on." He looked down at the woman, who was just starting to come around. "Better get her too or she might warn anyone else they have on board."

Siren hummed in reply, leaning down and levelling her face with that of the woman's, waiting until she opened her eyes before casting Hypnosis on her, putting her to sleep as with the first one. When she was out, Mark was about to call Siren back into her ball when a shout caught his ear; he spun around, a pair of white-clothed figures running his way. As they didn't have matching uniforms to the two thugs next to him, he couldn't be sure these men were hostiles, so he let them approach, but was ready if they got too close.

"You there," one of them stated. "Shouldn't you be in the dining hall? An announcement went out for everyone to gather in there."

"Sorry; I must've missed it," Mark replied. "And it's probably a good thing I did." He gestured to the two thugs. "These two were breaking and entering into the cabins to steal valuables; I stopped them."

"Gathering in the hall is mandatory," another one replied. "We can take it from here; leave the bag and get over there, now."

Mark noted their lack of surprise at the sight of the thugs and their urgency to make him leave, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Sensing this, Siren and Fang both moved to stand in front of him, ready to protect their trainer from these men. "I get the sense you guys don't work for the company that runs this ship."

"Of course we do," one of them replied. "We're... ship security."

"Oh yeah? What's the Captain's name?" Mark asked.

One of them tried to answer, but the words died in his throat, and then they both knew that they had been had. "Screw it," the other said, brandishing another of those shock batons the other thugs had been carrying, but no sooner did that weapon appear did Siren fire a Water Pulse at him, striking him square in the chest and knocking him backward and causing him to drop his weapon in the process.

Coughing and sputtering, the man glared from behind his sunglasses. "Okay, you asked for it!" He growled as he produced a Poké Ball from inside of his shirt, followed suite by his companion.

Mark only grinned at the two. "Alright; now we're talking," he said.

The two of them cast their Poké Balls forward. From one emerged a Weezing- a purple Pokémon with two spherical heads, one large, one small –only a third the size of the first, fused together, and with a narrow tube jutting out from their bodies connecting them. The strange-looking creature was covered in countless vents spewing noxious smoke, and its two faces stared blankly off into space until its four eyes rolled to look in Mark's direction.

The second Pokémon was a Muk; a massive creature with a body made of sludge, gathered into an amorphous form. It rose up as it appeared, raising two arms made of sludge as it opened its mouth to growl, revealing a gray tongue within. Two visible eyes peered out from its slimy body above its mouth; white eyes with black pupils that glared intently at Fang and Siren.

Mark scowled as he saw their Pokémon choices, narrowing his eyes as he studied them. _'Seems like thug-types always use Poison-type Pokémon,'_ he thought with disdain. _'Tanker would mop the floor with these two but unfortunately I don't have him, nor could I use him on this ship.'_

In Mark's experience, the main problem when battling Poison-types was that fighting them up close was often risky –Weezing and Muk being prime examples of this. One constantly exhumed poisonous gasses that were harmful to breath, and the other was made up of toxic sludge that could poison with a touch, not to mention reeking to the heavens and beyond. For a Pokémon like Fang that would especially be a problem, thanks to his sensitive nose.

"This one's up to you, Siren," Mark bade his Milotic. "Fang, keep back and wait for my direction." Fang barked in confirmation, while Siren let out a medium-pitched whine as she lowered her head in preparedness.

"Muk, Sludge Bomb!" The first thug called, ordering his Pokémon into its first attack.

Muk's body shuddered as it seemingly gathered up a portion of its own sludge body into its mouth and then spat a wad of it wards Siren, sending the dripping wad arcing through the air towards her. But Mark was ready.

"Intercept with Water Pulse!" Mark called.

A swirling sphere of water formed in front of her open mouth, and Siren launched the sphere at the Sludge Bomb, sending it scattering all over the deck without reaching the Milotic. At Mark's order, she launched another one at the Muk, dazing it slightly but not doing much damage; unfortunately, Muk's body made it resistant to physical attacks –as there was nothing solid to hit- but it had a high Special Defense as well, making it equally resistant to Special Attacks. Still, the Water Pulse had slowed it down a little.

But the Weezing was still in action. "Weezing, here!" Its trainer called, directing its attention back to him, where he threw a red berry towards it, which the Weezing opened its larger mouth to catch and ate it with a single chomp. "Now, use Belch!"

Weezing turned back towards Siren and Fang, inhaling through its smaller mouth and causing some red-tinted fumes to exhume from its many vents, before it opened its large mouth again, eliciting a horrid, guttural burp that sent a red fog pouring over the deck along with a concussive wave that staggered Siren but outright bowled over Mark and Fang, sending them both flying off their feet and falling hard onto the deck. No sooner did they try to regain their lost wind did the red fog reach them and bath them in a spicy, foul-smelling mist.

"Aw dude that is _all_ kinds of wrong!" Mark managed to say between coughs, eyes watering and nose burning as he put his hands over his face, trying to block out the horrible smell.

He heard Fang whining loudly, throwing his head side-to-side as if trying to get the smell out of his nostrils, even going so far as to drop onto his belly and cover his muzzle with his paws, clenching his eyes shut as he continued to whine in what could only have been a painful experience for him.

"Siren!" Mark struggled to command his Milotic. "Use... Blizzard!"

Seconds later, he felt a cold wind rushing over the deck, followed by some ice chips and snow flakes that showered him slightly, bringing a shiver from him, but he'd endure the old over that smell any day of the year. His idea worked as well; the wind successfully blew away the spicy fog while simultaneously striking both Pokémon with the Ice-type attack, giving them some relief from the noxious fumes.

"Okay, combo!" Mark called to Siren. "Aqua Ring and Recover!"

Siren let out a low whine in reply as she sprayed water from her mouth onto the deck around her, which began to form up over her body like a transparent shield, starting at the middle before making its way to her head and tail, giving a her a glistening second layer of skin made of water. No sooner did this complete that her body glowed with light as she used her bodily energy to rapidly heal the bruises left by the earlier concussive blast and the harmful fumes. When all was said and done, she looked as healthy as she had when Mark first called her out.

"Let's combine our attacks!" One of the thugs declared.

"Good idea! Double-Sludge Bomb!"

"Do it, Muk!"

Both Muk and Weezing fired sludge bombs this time, sending two wads of gunk arcing towards Siren. She couldn't possibly intercept both, even when Mark ordered her to use Water Pulse again; the attack stopped one Sludge Bomb but the other reached her, splattering her with toxic gunk that ran all over her water-coated body, seeping through and burning her skin. Mark suspected the poison would set in, but thanks to Aqua Ring its effects would be nullified –any damage Siren would take from the poison would be healed. But he still needed to end this quickly.

"Siren, Water Pulse on the Muk! Fang, rush at Weezing and use Crunch!"

The two Pokémon complied, and Siren fired one more Water Pulse at Muk, blasting it full-force this time and sending its slimy body splattering over the deck, while Fang ran as fast as he could at the hovering Weezing, which fired a Sludge Attack to intercept him, but Fang banked out of the way with a leap to the side, and then sprang at Weezing, successfully clamping his jaws around its smaller, spherical joint between its two heads. The searing pain of the bite finally caused the Pokémon to show emotion; surprise.

Weezing, essentially being a sentient gas bag, was dragged down by Fang's weight, and the spherical joint was the one place on Weezing's body without gas vents, allowing Fang to bite and not risk breathing in any gas. He shook Weezing side-to-side, smacking it repeatedly against the wall before throwing it onto the deck, unconscious.

"Ah crap!" One of the thugs cried as they both recalled their Pokémon.

"Siren," Mark spoke to his Milotic, who, understanding what he wanted her to do without it even being said, cast Hypnosis on the two men, her eyes glowing brightly as the hypnotic wave passed over them and they both fell limp to the deck, drifting off into sleep.

With the battle over, Mark let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, easing some of his tension. With that, he turned to Siren, walking over to her and petting the back of her neck. "Good job girl," Mark complimented, before looking at Fang as the Mightyena trotted back over to him, where he too received a congratulatory petting of his mane. "Now, both of you take a breather," Mark said as he produced their Poké Balls. "While I go find out what's happening around here."

The two nodded their head to him in understanding, an stood perfectly still as he recalled them into their Poké Balls, which he returned to his vest, securing them in their holsters before letting the flap fall closed again.

With that, Mark's brow creased and he turned his gaze forward, looking over the two thugs in front of him before he spoke in a low tone to himself. "Better start at the bridge," he said. "If the Captain knows what's going on then I'll get answers from him."

Without a second thought, Mark turned and ran along the deck, making a beeline towards the nearest staircase he remembered seeing, up which he strode and ascended to the second level of the deck. Following the signs on the walls normally meant for sailors, he made his way to the bridge. The ship was so large it took him a while to get there, but when he stepped into the last hallway, he spotted two more thugs standing outside the access door.

They saw him immediately. "Hey, you!" One called. "You're supposed to be in the dining hall; what're you doing up here?"

"I'm here to see the Captain," Mark replied plainly, continuing down the hall and cracking his knuckles as he approached the two.

"This area is off limits; you're not allowed up here!" The other called.

"Excuse my intrusion," Mark began as he suddenly broke into a sprint and charged at the two men. "But _this_!" He growled as he leapt up and punched the first man across the face, sending him reeling. "Can't!" He continued as he spun on the other, punching them hard in the gut to double them over. "Wait!" He concluded with an uppercut to the man's jaw that made his head snap back, only to collide with the steel wall behind him.

The other, previously only dazed by Mark, scrambled back to his feet and tried to grab the trainer from behind, only for Mark to seize him by the arm, turning about and hurling the man over his shoulder towards the door, which he slammed into with bone-jarring impact before falling to the ground again.

"Those Karate and Judo classes _do_ come in handy," Mark commented, shaking the aches out of his knuckles as he approached the door, stepping over the unconscious man lying in front of it as he reached for the handle and pulled it open...

He let out a yell as something was thrust into his abdomen, delivering a jolt of electricity through his body and causing him to trip over the unconscious man on the floor under him, but barely managed to remain on his feet. ' _Another of those damn stun batons!_ ' He growled in his mind, clutching where he'd been hit.

He turned, ready to face his attacker, and saw only a flash of yellow before a net was thrown over him. Losing his balance, he fell to the metal floor, and immediately began thrashing to escape the net, only to find his hands and arms sticking to the threads.

It wasn't a net, it was a _web_.

"You have got to be kidding me," Mark muttered as he looked down towards his feet, peering between them and seeing a familiar pair of arachnoid eyes staring back at him. Above the Galvantula stood an all-too familiar face, once more with a gold coin held in their left hand, flipping between their fingers.

Marvin Gold...

"It's a small world after all, isn't it Galvantula?" Marvin asked his Pokémon before turning his gaze back to Mark. "If I didn't know better, boy, I'd say you were following me trying to interfere with my business."

"Business my ass," Mark retorted. "If _you_ are here and all these thugs are here, there's only one reason; you're here to steal from the passengers."

"Accurate, if ineloquent," Marvin replied. "This is no mere –what's the term? 'Smash & Grab'?" He shrugged. "Anyway, it's a very carefully planned heist. One I'm not letting _you_ interfere with again. That web will keep you nice and quiet until we're done. In the meantime..." Mark felt Galvantula pulling him, dragging him onto the bridge as Marvin stepped aside. "You may wait in here with the Captain."

Mark grunted as his head bumped off the frame of the door as he was pulled onto the bridge, unable to get his hands free to even reach for one of his Pokémon. He surrendered, knowing there was nothing he could do – _yet._

He looked up at Marvin, who was standing triumphantly over him, watching as he was dragged across the floor by Galvantula. "So, you weren't just in Hoenn after the research of Professor Sycamore," Mark began. "That was probably just a side job, right? This boat heist was your real objective."

Marvin chuckled. "Oh no, there is _far_ more going on than that," he said. "My presence in Hoenn was for something else entirely, but I won't be telling _you_ what that is. I was assigned to this heist because it was on my way back to the north. You could say I was just passing through."

"Wait, so you're not in charge here?" Mark asked. "Someone else is on board?"

"No," Marvin replied. "They got called away, so I was put in charge instead." He flipped the coin again, catching it without looking and shaking his head with a sigh. "Truly, there is no rest for the weary. No sooner do I coordinate one mission I must be the brains of another."

"Must be a short supply of _brains_ in the Syndicate if they picked you," Mark retorted smugly, flashing a grin up at the glaring thug boss when they reacted to his taunt.

"I'll have you know, in the Syndicate, I am...!" He paused, pressing his lips together when he noticed Mark's grin widening. "Oh dear..."

"Thanks for confirming who you work for," Mark replied. "Former Team Rocket Executive, Marvin Gold; didn't stray far from the crime business after Ethan smashed your organization to pieces, did you?"

Marvin arched an eyebrow at the Hoenn trainer. "Well-informed, aren't you?"

"Some of us have to still watch TV," Mark replied. "News identified you after I botched your last job. The rest I found on the internet."

"Ah, the joys of modern technology," Marvin stated sarcastically, rolling his eyes before he looked at Mark again. "Well knowing who I am and who I work for won't help you. By the time you get out of that web, I'll be long gone." He turned his gaze towards the front of the bridge. "Mr. William; are we still on course?"

Mark could not see them, but he heard a scratchy voice reply to Marvin promptly. "We are, Mr. Gold; we'll be entering international waters shortly."

"Good. Let me know the instant the sub surfaces; I must get to the dining hall and start collecting our goods from the passengers," bade Marvin, before he looked down at Mark once more, smiling confidently at him. "I bid you adieu, young man. Though I hope we _don't_ meet again," he lowered himself down a little, finishing in a low tone. "For your sake."

With that, he stood up again, ordering his Galvantula to follow him, who compliantly walked over Mark, making him cringe, and followed his trainer out of the bridge. Marvin roused the two men Mark had attacked in the hall, telling them to stop sleeping on the job and get back to work, which left both men grumbling in annoyance as Marvin carried on down the hall. They peered inside, glaring angrily at Mark before shutting the door. Mark counted himself lucky that they didn't come inside and start beating him while he was pinned.

He felt a touch on the back of his leg. He turned over as much as he could to look behind him, and saw a man seated against the wall, hands bound behind his back. An elderly man, dressed in a sailor's uniform but with the addition of a captain's hat worn upon his head. Mark recognized this man; he had met him when he had boarded the ship earlier that day. Gray-haired with a slight, scruffy beard and a dense handlebar mustache, along with a stern pair of eyes. He reminded Mark a little of Drake of the Elite Four, though a little older than him, and didn't wear a black coat like the old Dragon Trainer did.

"Captain Raven?" Mark asked.

The man gently shushed him, eyes rolling off to the side to remind him that they weren't alone. "No time for chat; the passengers are in danger. Can you move your legs?" He whispered to Mark.

At the question, the trainer tried to do so, finding that although gummed up slightly, his legs had been spared the worst of Galvantula's web –he could still move them fairly well, but not to stand up. Still, he replied with a "Yes."

"They didn't take my Pokémon," Raven informed Mark. "Probably didn't know I had one with me. I need your help."

"What can I do?" Mark asked.

Raven shifted position, using his legs to pull himself away from the wall and slide around to turn his back to Mark, lifting his arms as much as he could to show a Poké Ball on the back of his belt. "See if you can pop it free from its holster; I can't quite reach it with my hands."

Mark couldn't slide around himself, not with the sticky web anchoring him to the floor, but he managed to bend his leg enough that he could bring the toe of his shoe to bear at Raven's waist, bumping the Poké Ball with his foot lightly. It didn't come loose until the second time, when Mark hit it just slightly harder, finally popping it free. Raven lowered his hands before the ball could roll away, catching it between his fingers, and tapped the button with his thumb, causing the ball to expand.

"Durant, come on out!" He said. It didn't matter if he used a hushed tone now; the moment that ball opened, their cover would be blown either way. They would have only precious seconds to act before they would be set upon by the guards.

The ball opened, and an insect-like Pokémon emerged, materializing beside Raven. The ant-like Pokémon, a bug/steel-type known as Durant, was a small insect Pokémon with a steel body, maintaining the three bodily sections of a typical insect, with two long metal mandibles clicking together in front of its face. It had two red eyes, and six black legs each ending in a hooked claw, the front legs sporting two of them.

The moment Durant formed, the man at the ship's wheel, William, reacted quickly, calling out for the guards. "Durant, Metal Claw; free the boy! Hurry!"

Durant turned quickly to Mark, raising its front legs as both shone with silvery light. Never mind his natural aversion to Bug-types, Mark tensed as he prayed Durant wouldn't miss. Fortunately, its aim was good, and it hacked away much of the webbing coating Mark's body just as the guards burst in, where the ant then jumped over Mark, throwing itself at the guards and startling them as it tackled one of them to the ground. The other jabbed at it with its stun baton, but Durant barely reacted to the jolt from the baton.

Mark didn't waste a second of his freedom, tearing the web from him as he scrambled back to his feet, rushing the man and seizing his weapon arm, yanking harshly to drill his knee into the man's stomach, winding him before he then pushed the man back against the wall, punching him several times in the chest and then finishing it with one more across the face. The second thug finally managed to get Durant off him, kicking it away and pulling himself up, only to find himself face-to-face with Mark, one eye half-lidded from swelling and with a noticeable bruise on his face where Mark had punched him.

"Unless you want the other eye to match," Mark began to say, but did not need to finish; the gangster fled without a second thought, running out the door and sprinting down the hallway. "I thought not." Mark finished, allowing himself a smug grin before he turned his attention to the only other man left in the room –the fat, bearded man with the sailor's uniform, making sure he did not attempt anything.

Meanwhile Durant returned to his trainer and bit his bonds with its mandibles to cut the ropes, freeing his hands and allowing him to stand up, rubbing his wrists to ease the aches and get the blood flowing again as he fixed the fat man with a freezing glare.

"C-Captain, I can explain..." William began when he noticed the look in the Captain's eye, putting up his hands defensively as the old man approached him.

"You said enough when you told me about your 'early retirement' plans, William," Raven replied. "If you don't mind, I think we'll skip the going away party," he said as he wound his arm back and then delivered a swift, hard punch across the fat man's jaw, sending him dropping to the floor like a beached Whailord. "And _there_ is your present." He concluded, rubbing the aches from his hand before turning his attention back to Mark.

" _Nice_ hit," Mark complimented, smiling broadly. "Felt that all the way over here."

"Pretty good yourself," he said. "That cretin never knew what hit him."

"Oh, I think he did, considering I beat him up before I was dragged in here," Mark replied in jest, before his expression turned more serious. "Can you get this ship the rest of the way to Kanto on your own?"

Raven grimaced. "It'll be a lot harder without my crew but I can at least steer us back on course," he replied. "But I can't call for help from here –they disabled the radio, and we're not close enough to any islands or stations for a distress flare."

Mark narrowed his eyes in thought, considering their options, before he looked at Raven again. "Do you know where your crewmen might be held?"

"Probably somewhere below decks," Raven replied. "But there's no time; we have to help the passengers first. We can't let them come to harm."

"I'll take care of that," Mark offered. "But I need to find your crew first; the best way we can help the passengers now is getting this ship close enough to land to contact the coast guard. Once I've found your crew, I'll go help the passengers."

"But they..."

"Don't worry," Mark began. "I know someone who's with the passengers now. Another Pokémon Trainer –one even better than me. I highly doubt he'll let them get away with this either. Now, we're out of time; I have to go. Watch your back, Captain," Mark bade as he turned and strode out the door, heading down the hallway as he expanded the Poké Ball in his hand, releasing the Pokémon within straight ahead of him.

Vitesse emerged from the stream of white light, clucking curiously as she glanced over at Mark. "We've got an emergency girl; double-time!" He informed her as he ran around the Blaziken, prompting her to follow him. She complied, breaking into a run and keeping pace at his back, following him as he rushed through the corridors.

"Be careful, kid," Raven bade as he turned to the ship's wheel, instructing Durant to watch out for trouble as he took up the wheel in his hands, breathing deeply. "Let's hope my navigating's not as rusty as my gears," he muttered as he turned the wheel slightly to the left, hoping to keep the ship in national waters where they might encounter coast guard patrols. If he saw any, he could signal them with the flare gun and get a rescue. In the meantime, he had no choice but to leave the safety of the passengers in Mark's hands...

The instant Randy heard the doors closing, he knew something was wrong. He remained calm, but could not hide his creased brow as he began to survey the dining hall, eyes darting to each of the exits. Standing at each of them were the same white-clothed men he had seen earlier that day when he had boarded the _S.S_ _Julia_ back in Mossdeep –the same men who had shoved past him, seemingly anxious to board the ship first.

Back then he hadn't thought much of them, but now seeing them barring the only ways out of that room, he knew something far more sinister was afoot. Discreetly, he reached for his Poké Balls, plucking two from the back of his belt, and waited.

 _'_ _I wonder where Mark is?'_ He wondered, having not seen the trainer yet, guessing perhaps he had missed the announcement. But surely by now he had to have noticed the ship's sudden lack of passengers on the deck –unless he had gone back to sleep as he was doing when Randy met him on the deck earlier that day.

The other passengers were murmuring to each other, asking what was going on, but nobody knew the answer. Randy could feel the increasing unease filling the room, tensions running high from both people and Pokémon alike, and he saw several were already approaching the men to demand answers, but the white-garbed strangers would give them nothing, only tell them that someone would be along to address them shortly.

' _Well_ that's _not ominous,_ ' Randy thought sarcastically.

Finally, after what felt like an hour of waiting, the many passengers in the hall heard a door opening. Following its sound, they looked up towards a balcony overlooking the dining hall –a place where the Captain might normally go to address the passengers aboard the ship, granting a full view of the room and everyone within. Some of the tension eased as the passengers were now certain their questions would soon be answered.

But their confusion returned when the man who appeared at the balcony was _not_ the captain of the _S.S Julia_ , but someone else entirely. The man was clearly not even a sailor, dressed more like a waiter or valet –or at least Randy thought so.

"Your attention please, fair passengers of the _S.S Julia_ ," the man chimed in an admittedly charismatic and alluring voice. "My name is Marvin; I will be your host on this fine day. This vessel is now under the control of the International Crime Syndicate, and for the moment you are all our hostages."

Naturally, his words, however smooth they were, still incited some panic; people were whispering to each other again, the room tension increasing tenfold. Some made beelines straight for the doors, only for the white-garbed men to brandish long, metal rods and jab them with them, followed by an electric crackle and the victim falling to the floor.

"Please, please; everyone, you may rest easy," Marvin called. "I assure you all, no harm will come to any one of you so long as you cooperate. I will spare you the details, and any sort of long speech I might have planned." He cleared his throat, adjusting his tie and tucking his hands behind his back as he continued. "In a moment, some of our fine staff will come around with large bags in tow, and in these bags, you will all deposit your rarest Pokémon and most valuable possessions you are currently carrying on your person. Worry not; your rooms are already being searched for other items of value if you have nothing on you."

"You think we're just going to take this lying down?!" A man bellowed from below. "If you weren't up in that balcony I'd flatten you like a bug, you son of a bitch!"

Seconds after that outburst, the man was struck from behind by one of those electric stun batons, sending him to the floor in pain, where he was then kicked into submission by the same man who had assailed him, beating him repeatedly until the trainer was begging for mercy.

"If there will be no further uncivilized behavior," Marvin carried on. "You will all prepare to surrender your belongings. And just in case any of you still think to refuse us, let me give you some incentive." He snapped his fingers, and from behind him, a metallic form hovered into view.

What appeared was a Pokémon with a wide, circular metal body, like a disk with an edged ring encircling its body, beneath a single large red eye and, at its 'shoulders' were two more smaller eyes, like a pair of Magnemite had fused to its body. Attached to these shoulders through the ring where a pair of rotating magnets, appearing to serve as hands to the strange metal Pokémon, and finally a rounded antenna rose from the top of its head, sparking with electricity as the Pokémon let out a hum that echoed through the room.

 _'_ _A Magnezone,_ ' Randy thought. _'This could be trouble.'_

Almost as if on cue, the Magnezone's humming intensified, and an electric bolt shot out from its antenna, striking a nearby row of lights and causing all of them to explode from the electric surge delivered to them. People below covered their heads with their hands to protect themselves from the following shower of glass, letting out shrieks of terror or pain if the glass cut into them.

"The next one among you to show even the slightest _hint_ of refusal will not only be electrified by my business partner here, but so will everyone else in this room. Make no mistake; _we_ are in control here, in control of this ship. Your lives are in _our_ hands, and you will cooperate."

 _'_ _For a guy dressed like he serves drinks at a restaurant & lounge, this guy's pretty menacing_,' Randy thought. ' _If I even twitch, he's going to blast_ everyone _in the room; I need a distraction or something._ '

The men with the bags had already appeared and began to walk around the room, demanding people surrender their rarest Pokémon and any items of value they carried –jewelry mostly. The ones who refused were struck with the stun batons and beaten until they complied –these thugs didn't even care if that someone was a teenage girl who had told them off, only for her to suffer the same treatment as the man before. Randy felt himself starting to sweat a little, as those same two men drew closer to him, knowing that if this plan didn't work, both he _and_ the passengers would regret it.

"Now or never," he muttered as he chose the Poké Ball held between his thumb and index finger, tossing the other one to his opposite hand before opening the first.

The men approaching him stopped in their tracks as a white light erupted behind Randy, and out of the light, a dark figure materialized. A tall, lithe bipedal vulpine with a body of mostly gray-brown fur with black fur around the chest, collar and back. Growing from its head was a mane of crimson hair with black tips close to the ends where the hair would become spiked. It had aqua-green eyes with crimson highlights, and red claws on the end of each arm.

"Subdue him!" Marvin bellowed, prompting the two men to rush at Randy, one of them swinging at him with the baton on his hand, but his weapon struck nothing, whizzing through Randy as though he were only a projection...

Which it turned out, he was. Very suddenly the young man seemed to dissipate into nothingness, leaving the thug gawking in confusion. He turned to look at the Zoroark, which elicited a childish giggle before it began to run backwards away from them. The thug cursed and began to run after the Pokémon, yelling for it to stop as it dashed between the crowds, dancing away from the man and only making him angrier when he eventually lost it in the crowd.

"Where'd that damn fox go now?" He demanded.

He heard a _'psst'_ and turned to his left, seeing his partner pointing in another direction. Following his finger, the man spotted Randy hidden in the crowds. The thug grinned, and made a beeline straight for the trainer, barking out a laugh as he closed the distance on him, ignoring the shocked look on his face before bludgeoning him in the head with his baton. "Got you!"

But the man lying on the floor was _not_ Randy at all. In fact, the face staring back up at him with crossed, dazed eyes, was none other than the partner who had pointed him to this same man. The thug's expression went flat, and slowly he looked over his shoulder to find himself staring back at the Zoroark once more. He started to react, only to get a smack across the face from the fox- Pokémon's paw, after which it giggled once more and disappeared in a veil of smoke.

"You idiots! Find the trainer!" Marvin screamed at them.

But at that very second, he felt a tap on his shoulder. "Ahem."

"What...?!" He spun around, but froze when he saw none other than Randy standing there, staring back at him with a big, smug grin at his confusion. "...How did you get up here?"

"The same way you're going _down_ ," Randy replied before he suddenly jumped up, spun around in mid-air and kicked the man in the chest, sending him tumbling –and screaming, over the railing of the balcony.

Fortunately for the gang boss, the balcony was only ten feet above the main floor, and directly below was a table to break his fall. He hit the table-clothed surface hard enough to knock the wind out of his lungs, and started to roll over to stand only to go over the edge of the table, resulting in him falling on his face.

Randy exploded with laughter, guffawing loudly at Marvin's predicament. "That couldn't have gone better if I _planned_ it!"

He stopped laughing when Marvin's Magnezone suddenly hovered in front of him, that single large eye glaring harshly at him. Randy realized his mistake too late, having overlooked the Magnezone after taking out Marvin, and before he could get away, the Magnetic Pokémon blasted him with a Thundershock, causing every muscle in his body to seize up and fail him. He fell painfully to the floor, landing with a grunt and losing the grip on the Poké Ball still clenched in his hand, which rolled out onto the balcony.

On its initial landing, the ball landed upon the button on the front, causing it to expand from its compact form to its larger, unlocked mode. As Magnezone moved to punish Randy further, the ball suddenly burst open, and out of the light it released appeared Cairo. The Lucario growled ferally at the Magnezone as he launched himself towards it, striking it with a Force Palm that sent the metal Pokémon crashing against the wall. But it continued to float, unfazed despite taking the Fighting-type attack, which it retaliated against with a Flash Cannon, gathering light into a sphere and firing a beam of power that struck Cairo.

Randy managed to recover from the earlier electric blast he'd taken, sitting up and seeing Cairo fighting the Magnezone. The Lucario had summoned his Bone Rush –a ground-type move that Lucario could learn where it would form a bone-like weapon made of pure Aura energy as solid as the real thing. Most Lucario formed theirs into a staff, but Cairo preferred to snap his at the middle and use the two ends like a pair of batons. However, his attack proved fruitless as Magnezone simply floated out of the way, dodging Cairo's furious swings.

"Cairo; forget about Bone Rush!" Randy called. "Use Aura Sphere!"

Cairo compliantly nodded back to his trainer, dissipating the two bones in his hand and instead holding his paws at his side to form an Aura Sphere, which he proceeded to throw at Magnezone, the globe of energy homing in on the Electric/Steel-type like a heat-seeking missile.

But Marvin was prepared. "Magnezone; Mirror Coat!" The gang boss called up to his Pokémon.

Magnezone became coated in a layer of white energy, forcing a second skin across its metal body, which upon being stricken by the Aura Sphere, sent it flying back in Cairo's direction. The Lucario's eyes went wide with horror, and out of instinct he ducked to avoid it, but he would realize his mistake too late as the Aura Sphere veered back around and instead struck him in the back, sending him flying into the railing with such force, the wood shattered, and he would have fallen to the floor below had Randy not acted first.

"Cairo!" He screamed, instinctively throwing himself after his Pokémon, managing to catch the railing with one hand and Cairo's foot with the other, stopping him from falling onto his head. "I got'cha boy!"  
"Magnezone, use your Magnet Pull," Marvin instructed.

Magnezone hummed loudly in response, and the dazed Cairo suddenly began to float upward, with Randy still hanging onto his foot as he was carried aloft by an unknown force. It took Randy a moment to perceive what was happening; Cairo's Steel Sub-type made him vulnerable to magnetic field emanated from Magnezone's body. Cairo's paws with their steel spikes were pulled up from his sides, drawn towards Magnezone and threatening to pull him away from Randy if the trainer were to let go.

"Your Lucario is quite a rare and valuable Pokémon," Marvin commented from down below. "For your interference, I think we'll be taking him with us."

"Over my dead body!" Randy yelled defiantly back at Marvin. "Shadow!"

At the call of his name, Randy's Zoroark appeared once more from the crowd, making a beeline straight towards Marvin, who narrowly dodged a paw swipe from the Zoroark. Magnezone turned about in midair, though its pull on Cairo did not abate, and turned its attention towards Shadow. "Signal Beam!" Marvin called up to his Pokémon.

Magnezone's large, red eye turned green as it charged up the new attack, firing the Bug-type beam of energy right at Shadow from behind, striking him in the blind-spot and stunning him just long enough for Marvin to draw his own stun baton and thrust it into Shadow's belly, delivering the paralyzing current of electricity. Shadow lost his footing, dropping onto his side and laying there, rendered unconscious by the double-attack from Magnezone and its trainer.

"Hey! That's fighting dirty!" Randy bellowed.

"I'm a _criminal_ , boy; I don't play by the rules," Marvin retorted. "Now, Magnezone, if you would be so kind..."

Magnezone turned back to face Randy and the still-floating Cairo again, with the former still stubbornly holding onto his Pokémon's foot to keep him from being carried off towards Magnezone. Electricity crackled from the antennae atop Magnezone's head, charging a Thunderbolt. Randy knew what Marvin intended; he was going to blast _both_ of them to take out Randy _and_ Cairo at the same time, but if Randy let go of Cairo now to save himself, his poor Pokémon would be helplessly suspended in midair; with his arms stuck over his head he couldn't even use Aura Sphere again.

But the attack would never come, as a familiar voice suddenly barked from places unknown. " _Blaze Kick!"_

Out of the corner of Randy's eye, he saw a red and yellow blur race past him, eliciting a bird-like battle cry as it launched itself off of the railing and turning over to a flying sideways kick, which it delivered directly to Magnezone's face, sending it spiralling across the room, eliciting a buzzing noise that sounded rather similar to a cry of pain as it flew until it struck the wall with a loud clamour, and again when it dropped to the floor.

With the magnetic pull of Magnezone no longer in effect, Cairo was once more at the mercy of gravity, dropping out of midair and pulling Randy's arm as he swung back towards the underside of the balcony, barely catching himself on his paws before his nose was smashed into the ornate wall.

At this point, Randy's arm was already tired, and he was having a hard time keeping holding on Cairo, but the Lucario was recovered enough now that Randy could safely let go, and with that Cairo front-flipped and landed softly on the floor with his feet, and then turned his gaze on Marvin, growling ferally at him. In response, Marvin backed away from the stunned Zoroark lying at his feet, allowing Cairo to walk over and check on him. Almost immediately after which, the Blaziken leapt over to stand between him and the two Pokémon.

Randy fell back on the seat of his pants, panting for breath as he felt a wave of relief wash over him, a grin spreading across his face as he noticed the unmistakable harness worn around the shoulders of the Blaziken below. "What the hell took you so long?" He asked, without looking back.

"Maintenance on the bridge," Mark replied as he walked over to stand next to Randy, offering him a hand to help him up to his feet. "And, doing a little search & rescue."

"Rescue of who?" Randy asked as Mark hoisted him up.

"Them," Mark replied as one of the dining hall doors suddenly flew open, startling the men that were still guarding them as a horde of angry sailors rushed in.

As the thugs were accosted by the angry sailors and a few Pokémon that accompanied them, Marvin spun around to see the commotion, eyes widening in shock as he saw the sailors pouring in, bludgeoning his men with improvised weapons or just their fists, yelling curses at them all the while. He turned and glared up at the two trainers above –especially Mark. "Again, you disrupt my business!" He called. "When the Syndicate is through with _you_ boy, you'll wish you'd never crossed us!"

"I'm not afraid of your shit-faced Syndicate," Mark retorted. "Because if you and these goons are the toughest you have, I'll happily take _all_ of you down myself."

"That makes two of us," Randy chimed in.

"A Blaziken... a Lucario... Boss." an enforcer standing near Marvin suddenly spoke up. "I-I think I know these two!"

"What're you babbling about?" Marvin asked sharply.

"The blond; his name's Mark Taylor," the enforcer replied. "And the other's Randy Calvin; they're both former Champions!"

Marvin looked at the man with a surprised expression, and then back up at Mark and Randy. "Former _Champions?!_ " He repeated, and then growled angrily. "Dammit!" He turned, calling out to all of his men who could hear him. "Enforcers; abort mission! Escape plan Beta!"

Those who had not already been subdued by angry sailors broke off and fled for the doors. Unfortunately, the crowds wouldn't have it; equally upset passengers threw themselves at the fleeing thugs, grabbing them and dragging them from their feet. This turn of events left the thugs with only one available escape route; the last door out of the dining hall. With no obstructions to bar their way, Marvin recalled his Magnezone and led the remaining enforcers to the door, pushing them open and running into the corridors with several angry sailors in pursuit.

"They've got nowhere to run," Randy said triumphantly. "Those sailors will get them."

"Don't be so sure," Mark replied. "They wouldn't launch a heist like this if they didn't have some sort of escape plan, and a backup if the initial one failed."

"You think so?" Randy asked.

"Definitely; come on! Let's see if we can head them off!" Mark said. "Vitesse!"

"Cairo, come on!" Randy called as he produced Shadow's Poké Ball and recalled the Zoroark, placing him safely back in the confines of the Poké Ball to recuperate.

With that the Blaziken and Lucario leapt back up to the balcony, joining their trainers as they ran back out the door from the balcony area and into the crowded hallways of the upper deck, running single-file as fast as their legs could carry them as they hurried to catch the criminals. Unfortunately, they second-guessed several of their turns as neither of them knew this part of the ship very well –a factor partly owing to why it took Mark so long to get to the dining hall even after escaping the bridge.

It took them far longer than it should have to eventually make it out to the deck, turning and running back in the direction of the hall hoping to intercept the thieves. But out of the corner of his eye, Cairo spotted something, and skidded to a halt on the deck –nearly causing Vitesse to trip over him in the process as he peered out towards the ocean. He elicited a series of calls to get Randy and Mark's attention; they stopped, looking back, and saw him pointing out to the water with his paw.

The followed where Cairo was pointing, and their hearts sank. Floating out to sea away from the ship was a lifeboat, commandeered by Marvin and his enforcers and sailing off into the setting sun to make their escape.

"Slippery as a Goomy!" Randy cursed. "Come on; we've still got our Water or Flying Pokémon to catch them!"

"No," Mark intervened. "Marvin's still got another electric-type he could sick on them; we send them out he'll just blast them. He gums up Palm Tree and your Salamence, they might drown out there, and our Water-types will get electrocuted."

"So were just letting them go?" Randy asked, appalled.

"We've done all we can," Mark replied, and turned his head as he heard a loud 'pow' echo through the air, spotting the distress flare rising from the bow of the ship into the sky. "They won't get far in that little dingy anyway; the coast guard will find them."

Randy let out an exasperated sigh. "Damn but I hope you're right," he said, looking at Cairo. "Well, at least we can't say this boat trip's been boring, huh boy?"

 _"_ _Ark_ ," Cairo replied.

Mark looked over his shoulder as he felt Vitesse approaching him, finding the Blaziken standing at his side to stare out after the Syndicate enforcers with him, just as frustrated as her trainer that they had escaped. He patted he shoulder in a reassuring manner, giving her a warm smile as he said, "we'll get 'em next time... if there is one," and turned back from the railing. "Let's go check on the Captain, and then go get some rest. It's been a _long_ day..."

"I'm for that," agreed Randy.

With that, both trainers turned away from the rail, accompanied by their Pokémon as they walked along the deck towards the bridge, with tired bodies and tired minds as they recounted the events they had experienced. They had been caught in the middle of a heist orchestrated by a strange new criminal faction, their minds now filled with questions, but overcome by the relief that things had turned out for the better.

They had thwarted the gangsters; they had protected the passengers and themselves, and now all that was left to do was wait until they reached their destination.


	6. Chapter 5

The arrival of the Coast Guard was a blessing to the many passengers aboard the _S.S Julia_. A patrol boat had seen the flare sent up by Captain Raven and come to investigate, where they boarded and learned the events of the day from the Captain himself, before proceeding to notify the Vermillion Police and perform a full sweep of the ship to search for any remaining gangsters that might be hiding. More boats would arrive later to join the search, detaining the criminals and taking away as many as possible while leaving the rest for the police.

By morning, the ship pulled into the port of Vermillion City, with the police waiting for them. They had closed off a small part of the docks for the ship, boarding and performing another sweep through it to see if the Coast Guard had missed anything, and taking statements from the passengers, sailors and captain. Among those were Mark and Randy, the latter whom told them how he had missed the false announcement that Captain Raven was forced to give, only to find later two thugs that were breaking into rooms to steal valuables.

When Mark became aware something was amiss, he had run to the bridge to investigate, where he found more thugs along with their boss, who stunned Mark and detained him. But Captain Raven helped him to escape, allowing Mark to find the ship's crew, free them and, with their help and Randy's, stop the heist of the _Julia._ Randy told his part of the story as well, how he had been in the dining hall with the other passengers when everything started up to when Mark showed up and teamed up with him.

The last of the criminals were taken away, along with First Mate William, who had been confirmed to have been a collaborator on the heist, and so the passengers of the _S.S Julia_ could finally disembark. Mark and Randy, after being thanked by the Captain and crew for their help, bid goodbye and descended the gangplank with the rest, where they headed into Vermillion City.

Mark's new journey was about to begin.

As they ventured into the city, Mark glanced over at Randy, and said, "Well, I suppose this is where we part ways; you've got your way to go, I've got mine."

"I guess," Randy began, grimacing.

"What's the matter?"

"To be honest, man," began Randy. "That convention I'm going to? It's not for a while yet."

"How long?" Mark asked.

"A week," replied Randy. "And it's in Saffron City, the center-most city in Kanto so it's pretty easy to get to from just about anywhere, plus it's going on for about three days so I've got a lot of time to kill before it."

Mark eyed him quizzically, tilting his head as he asked, "Why'd you come to Kanto so early if the convention's not for a whole week?"

"I wanted to explore the region for a while; maybe go on a few battles," Randy replied.

Mark shrugged. "I suppose that makes sense," he returned. "What's the problem then?"

"After seeing you in action last night I thought maybe it'd be more fun if I went along with you," he began. "I want to see you battle against the trainers of the region." He patted his knapsack. "Make good footage to put on my camcorder if you want some memories to bring back to Hoenn with you."

Mark's face fell into a flat expression. _'Now why didn't I think of that?'_ He wondered to himself, before looking back at Randy, considering the proposal. _'Well, one thing's for certain, hanging out with this guy certainly won't be boring. But is it strange to travel with a trainer you're on a journey to surpass and eventually re-challenge?_ ' He put a hand to his chin, entering a thinking posture –mostly to hide his grimace. ' _Then again, I didn't plan on doing that for a while yet, and it's not like he has to stay with me throughout the entire trip; just until that convention of his.'_

He shrugged again, deciding there was really no harm in it. "Why the hell not?" He asked, smiling at Randy. "Alright, sure; you can come with me for a while."

"Sweet!" Randy exclaimed. "Now... where are we going first?"

"To _bed_ ," Mark returned, not noticing the weird look Randy gave him. "First, I'm going to go get Tanker back, and then find somewhere to sleep, 'cuz I am _dog_ -tired." He emphasized the point by fighting back a yawn and rubbing his eyes. "Aside from that sun-nap on the ship I haven't slept in twenty-four hours so _my_ first priority is to remedy that."

As if Mark's words were a cue, Randy, even full of energy as he normally was, suddenly noticed just how exhausted he himself felt, with heavy eyelids and dragging feet included. "Now that you mention it," Randy remarked, until a yawn forced itself to the surface and cut him off before he could say anymore. The timing of the yawn made him chuckle light-heartedly before he concluded with. "Okay, bed first, and _then_ we head out..."

"My thoughts exactly..."

Finding a motel was fortunately quite easy for the trainers; on their way to the Pokémon center, they passed a small one with a sign up to indicate vacancy, and took note of its location before proceeding a few more doors down the block and locating the red-roofed building.

They took their Pokémon to the counter to get them healed from their battles back on the _S.S Julia_ –they would have used the ship's onboard center, but in all of the chaos it had been shut down for the duration of the journey to Kanto. While they waited, Mark proceeded to the computer terminal, contacting the storage service and requesting they send Tanker back to him. Once the transporter machine spat out the Poké Ball containing the Steelix, Mark took the ball and looked at it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting big fella," he said, hoping Tanker wasn't mad at him, before he shrank the ball down and placed it back into his vest where the others would soon rejoin him. "Welcome back," he whispered as he let his vest fall closed again, patting over his contained Pokémon gingerly.

"You really don't like to be separated from your Pokémon that much, huh?" Randy asked.

"Ever since I caught all of these guys they've never left my side," Mark replied. "There hasn't been a day that's gone by where I haven't made time for at least one of them. Spar with Vitesse, play fetch or jog with Fang, swim with Siren, go flying on Palm Tree, or take Tanker up Mt. Chimney where he can find some of those minerals he loves to devour. All of them have something they love to do, and I am happy to join them."

"Yeah?" Randy asked, smiling. "Me too, actually; you've noticed I usually have Cairo with me but we both play with Thorn and Shadow too. Heck sometimes we play baseball together; Thorn makes a damn good batter."

An image of a Sceptile holding a baseball bat flashed across Mark's mind, taking note of the rather short, thin arms they possessed before he quirked an eyebrow at Randy. "He can swing a bat with those little arms?"

"Wha-Oh. No, actually; he holds it in his mouth," replied Randy. "Gives him a wider arc to swing too thanks to his height."

"That _can't_ be good for his neck," Mark bade.

Randy shrugged. "Doesn't seem to bother him."

"Okay," Mark returned as they heard the nurse calling from the front, letting them know their Pokémon were ready and headed to collect them. "And what about Cairo and Shadow?"

"Shadow's pretty good at the bat too, but he's also a good pitcher, while Cairo can zero in on the ball after it's been hit and he's off like a shot after it," he replied before letting out a laugh. "I should form my own baseball team." Mark nodded again as they left the Pokémon Center. "So... sparring with Vitesse; you mean you actually fight her?"

"Well not seriously, of course; if she actually went all out against me I doubt I'd actually stand a chance against her," Mark replied. "I guess you could say that since I have no other fighting-types for her to practice against, I stand in for it." He went on to tell Randy about how, ever since Vitesse was a Combusken, he had actually taught her the techniques he'd learned in martial arts himself, and how they had started becoming her attacks. "She incorporates a lot of the moves I taught her into her attacks, including that flying sideways kick you saw her use on Magnezone."

"Ah, so that's where she learned to do that," Randy said, nodding in satisfaction.

"Of course, accidents _do_ happen," Mark stated, reaching down and lifting up his shirt a little to show a scar on his flank, where something with three long claws had seemingly tried to spill his innards.

"Ho- _damn!"_ Randy exclaimed as he halted mid-step, prompting Mark to stop, where the former knelt down to look closer at the scar. " _Vitesse_ did that to you?"

"It was an accident, back when she was a Combusken," Mark replied. "She had swiped at me instinctively to block a roundhouse kick I was trying out, but it went astray and then this happened." He lowered his shirt again. "I haven't seen her look so horrified in the entire time I've had her; I had to grab and hold her and keep telling her it was okay to keep her from running away in guilt."

"Aw, poor girl," Randy bade as he stood back up. "I bet you two were a lot more careful after that."

"Naturally, but we didn't have to be for long," Mark said as the resumed their walk, now approaching the motel they had seen before. "It wasn't long after that she evolved, and then she had fists instead of claws; made it a lot safer for both of us."

"What about the claws on her feet?"

"Never had any incidents there," Mark replied. "Of course when she's trying to deliver a kick I usually make a point _not_ to be standing where she's swinging her leg."

"Good point."

Approaching the office, they stepped inside, and proceeded to the front desk where they met with the desk manager and rented a couple of rooms for themselves. Unfortunately checkout time was only six hours away, but the desk manager was fortunately generous, telling them he'd let them keep the rooms until the afternoon if they needed the extra sleep, for which they thanked him graciously. Their conversations continued as they made their way to the other side of the building where their rooms were, talking about a few more things before they bid goodnight to each other and entered their respective rooms.

Mark closed the door behind him, locking the deadbolt and the chain latch before he dropped his knapsack onto the floor, sighing blissfully as his eyes fell upon the bed in the room. He couldn't remember the last time he was ever this tired; the events over the last day had been draining to say the least, and now even though it was nearly sunrise, that bed was all that he wanted at that moment...

Dragging his feet over to it, he slowly pulled off of his vest, unknowingly touching a Poké Ball in the process, which expanded as a result. As Mark set the vest down on the floor and dropped onto the bed, he was too exhausted to even hear the Poké Ball opening and letting out its inhabitant. Coal emerged from the ball, letting out a growl as he tasted fresh air again, and peered about the room, looking for his trainer.

He croaked curiously when he found Mark laying facedown on the bed in the room. Stepping closer he jumped up onto the bed, tilting his head as he studied his trainer's face; his eyes were already shut and his breathing was relaxed. Though he had only been lying there a few seconds Mark had already drifted off too much to notice Coal's presence. Eventually, Coal just shrugged, crawling over to Mark and laying down next to him, curling up into a ball and draping his tail flame over the back of his neck where it wouldn't cause the bed to catch on fire. In his groggy state, Mark rolled over onto his side and absently pulled Coal closer to him, drawn to the warmth of the Charmeleon as he finally fell asleep...

Shortly into the afternoon, Mark and Randy checked out of their rooms and prepared to depart for Pallet Town; Randy assessed that if they headed straight west, they would reach it within a few hours, as long as they stayed along the coast. Since it was where Red and Blue both lived it seemed like a good place to start looking for them. Before heading out, Mark let his Pokémon out of their balls to get them fed, and to smooth things over with Tanker if the Steelix was upset at all, but he seemed to hold no grudge against Mark for storing him.

He recalled all of his Pokémon later except for Palm Tree, needing his ability to fly in order to make the journey, rather than walk along the coast –even if it was a fairly direct route to Pallet Town it was still a fair distance away, and they would get there much faster by air.

Palm Tree rumbled happily as he waited on Mark and Randy, soaking up the sunlight and spreading his leaf-wings wide as he inhaled a breath of sea air. From Randy's held Poké Ball emerged a Salamence –a mighty Dragon-type Pokémon referred to as a Pseudo-Legendary –a Pokémon powerful enough to almost reach legendary status, but falling just shy of it. Mark recalled this Salamence was nicknamed Skyclaw; a large, female Salamence of incredible power from what he remembered. She had been the Pokémon that had defeated Tanker _and_ Siren when they had battled. Although Mark knew Thorn was technically Randy's strongest Pokémon, Skyclaw was definitely a close second, if not Cairo.

Mark studied the Salamence carefully, looking her over and feeling like she had grown a bit since the last time he had seen her. She had always been bigger than her trainer of course, but now if she were to stand up on her hind legs for him to hug her, he'd never get his arms halfway around her body. "Well, your dragon certainly looks healthy," Mark commented. "You've kept up training her since we battled, I wager."

"Not much by way of training, but she's been in _plenty_ of battles," Randy replied, petting Skyclaw's neck. "Got her time to shine against over two dozen different Pokémon in about six matches."

"Impressive," Mark complimented. "You know I've never actually had a Dragon-type; what was it like, raising her?"

"Well she may come across as some tough girl," Randy replied, petting Skyclaw's neck. "But underneath, she's a big softy."

The Salamence turned her gaze to Randy, narrowing her eyes before she opened her mouth and clamped her jaws around his top of his head, eliciting a surprised yelp from Randy who instinctively brought up his hands to grab her jaws. "Okay, okay! I take it back!" He bellowed. "You're not a softy, alright?!"

Mark and Palm Tree both eyed Randy quizzically as Skyclaw lifted her jaws from Randy's skull. "...Is it normal for her to do that?" Mark asked.

"She can be a bit... sensitive," Randy replied, eyeing Skyclaw warily in case she tried to bite him again. "She doesn't do it to hurt; just make a point –no pun intended."

"For your sake, I hope not," muttered the blond trainer as he stepped over to Palm Tree's side and climbed onto the Tropius, making himself comfortable on the large, leaf-covered hump of the dinosauresque Pokémon, draping his legs around the sides of his neck and making sure he was in a position he wouldn't hinder with Palm Tree's wings.

Randy followed suite, touching Skyclaw's shoulder to make sure it was alright with her before he climbed onto her back, using her for support as he swung his legs over and landed on her shoulders, placing his hands on her neck to secure himself as they prepared to fly off. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the accessory around Palm Tree's neck; a seed, attached to a string and worn like a necklace beneath the banana-like fruit growing from beneath his chin.

"Is that a Miracle Seed he's wearing?" Randy asked. "I don't remember seeing that on him when we last met."

"I didn't have it then," Mark replied. "I gave it to him about a month after I left the league. Tropius' are strongest when they fight in direct sunlight, but since there are some battles we have to fight indoors –like at the league or in a gym battle, I figured it would come in handy.

"A good idea," Randy replied. "I used to do that for Thorn before I found his Mega Stone. Anyway, shall we get going?"

"Right," Mark replied, patting Palm Tree's side. "Let's fly, boy."

Palm Tree hissed in reply, opening his wings to their fullest and breaking into a gentle trot as he flapped twice, attaining liftoff and rising up into the air. Mark felt the wind begin to rush around him as they accelerated, enjoying the cooling breeze on such a warm day as they ascended high above Vermillion City, the buildings below shrinking away from him by the second.

Randy and Skyclaw were quick to follow, the dragon bounding forward and spreading her wings wide, taking flight and swiftly catching up to Mark and Palm Tree as they angled themselves westward to leave the city airspace, passing over the gigantic bay that Vermillion City was built next to, with the sun over their heads to cast their shadows on the water below.

As they flew, Mark took in his surroundings. To the south, he saw the land extending outward into a peninsula, many miles away from where they were currently, which formed the southernmost regional landmass of Kanto itself. From what Mark remembered of the map he had read some time ago, that was also where Fuschia City was located, surrounded by the forested hills that bordered the safari zone... or what used to be the Safari Zone. He had heard it had closed years back, though never why or what became of the land.

To the west was a bridge that stretched from the peninsula all the way back to the mainland, reaching a faraway shore on the northern end of the bay. On the far horizon across the mainland stretch, he saw a lone mountain rising up from the earth; though it was dwarfed by the marvelous splendor of Mt. Silver to the west and the ranges that extended from it to the north, creating the Kanto/Johto and Kalos border, this stone behemoth was still a sight to behold, and supposedly a place full of mystery.

Mark smiled as he admired the balanced nature of Kanto –a fine divide between wilderness and civilization, with so many things to explore. "I think I'm going to like it here," he said as they passed over the bridge, and carried on towards Pallet Town. "I wonder what Red's hometown will be like?"

If only he could have known what awaited him...

When Mark and Randy flew into the vicinity of Pallet Town, they nearly choked on the smell of ash permeating the atmosphere there, forcing both of them to cover their mouths with their shirts to keep from inhaling the ash still falling from the air. At first they wondered if there was a fire in town, but there was far too much of the ash to have been an ordinary housefire; even the biggest of mansions wouldn't burn enough to cause what they were flying through.

When Palm Tree began to cough from inhaling too much of the ash, Mark called out to Randy, urging him that they had to land, and they made a beeline straight for the shore, landing in the trees and hurriedly recalling their Pokémon to their Poké Balls, giving Palm Tree and Skyclaw reprieve from the choking ash.

"This is like the ash fall near Lava ridge Town," Mark stated. "But it's way thicker than even that; what the hell's causing all of this?"

"I don't know, but we better get to town and get indoors before we suffocate out here," Randy suggested, pulling his shirt tightly over his nose and coughing. "Pallet shouldn't be much farther ahead," urged Randy, taking the lead and keeping the coast in sight as they continued west, moving as briskly as he could with one hand holding up his shirt and the other holding onto his knapsack.

With Mark in hot pursuit the two of them ran through the trees, leaping over fallen logs and routes as they hurried desperately to get to Pallet Town. Though both of them were still confused by the ash falling all around them, they could not worry about it now. It had just been so sudden, though; one shift and of the wind, and suddenly they were being buffeted by flakes of choking, hot ash and the stench of smoke, and no matter where they looked they could not determine the source.

Mark covered his eyes with his arm as he felt the sting of some ash particles in one of them, and under the shadow of his forearm, he saw something ahead; rectangular forms, rising up from the ashes and narrowing into angular tops. Houses! They were almost there.

Mark knew Randy had seen the houses too when he saw his pace increase, and so he too had to sprint after him to catch up, following him as he hopped the fence into the backyard of one of the houses and ran up to the back door, with the other trainer following suite.

Randy reached the door, pounding on it with his fist. "Hello? Anybody home?" He called.

They waited, but no one answered. Mark walked around the side of the house, trying to find a car or something to show whether or not there was anyone home, but under the blanket of ash he could not even find a driveway, or even a street for that matter! The whole town –every house, every road, every sidewalk was utterly buried under the ash, plants were dead and choked by the lack of sunlight to feed them, and there was not a car in sight.

' _This can't have only just started; for this much ash to accumulate would take months!'_ He thought, and then turned to Randy. "Forget it; there's no one here," he called. "The whole town's empty."

"How can you tell?" Randy asked.

"See for yourself," Mark replied, waving his hand towards the front yard of the street. "There's nothing here but ash and empty houses. This place is abandoned."

Randy stepped back from the door, staring at it for another moment as thought hoping someone would answer to prove Mark wrong, but no one would come. Eventually, he gave up, rejoining Mark and following him out to the front of the house, walking out onto the street where they both gained a better view of the block.

"Shit... this place _is_ deserted," Randy commented.

Kneeling down, Mark clawed at the ash with his hand, pulling up some of it. A few clumps scattered at the swipe of his fingers, while the rest, more recent, billowed all over, and forced him to turn his head away. What surprised him was how deep it was; he could have sunk his entire hand into the stuff before finding the pavement underneath.

"This sure as hell didn't happen overnight," Mark commented, confirming his earlier theory. "That ash fall we flew into on the way here has been going on for a long time now –we just got caught in the middle of the next one when it hit. But where is it all coming from? I don't smell any smoke or see any wildfires."

"Me neither."

"Hey!"

The two spun in the direction of the voice, peering through the ash to see a figure moving towards them, hobbling on a cane as they emerged from the falling ash to reveal a human form covered head-to-toe by a hooded cloak, a face mask, goggles and gloves for their hands, making their way across the street towards the two.

"What in heaven's name are you two doing out here?" The man demanded in a somewhat muffled and raspy but clearly male voice.-

"W-We're sorry, sir," Mark began. "We came here looking for someone..."

"Looking? Here?" The man replied with a scoff. "Besides myself there's no one to meet here in Pallet Town. Not anymore." He shook his head. "Never mind. We shouldn't stay out here while the ash is falling."

"We can leave, if you think we should," Mark informed. "if you could just point us the way out."

"Not a good idea; the air will become much harder to breath as this ash keeps falling," the man replied. "Come with me to my lab; we can take shelter there until the ash stops falling." He turned away from them, beckoning them to follow as he started to walk away. "This way; quickly now."

The two stared after the man, sharing a brief glance with each other until they both felt a sudden burning sensation in their throats; the ash was getting so thick, their improvised shirt-filters were no longer sufficient. Whoever this man was, he didn't seem dangerous; certainly not mobile enough to even be of threat to them, and they weren't exactly in a position to turn away from free shelter.

Eventually, they followed after the man, sprinting through the ash to catch up to him and trudging onward through the not-quite-abandoned Pallet Town.

Even though the man had said 'lab', Mark and Randy had not expected what they were led to; on the outside it seemed like a fairly ordinary house with an attached windmill, but on the inside, they felt like they had stepped through a portal into the future, entering a room filled with state-of-the-art, high-end science equipment, countless volumes of books lining shelves in the middle of the room, a recovery machine like those found in the Pokémon Centers, and an entire corner packed full of filing cabinets at the back behind a table.

The lights flicked on upon their entry, allowing the two to see the room within, and stare in awe at the setup. "Damn... for a guy who lives in a deserted town, he's got some high-end stuff." Randy commented.

"Tell me about it," Mark agreed, turning to their host as he finished removing the last of his protective clothing, finally uncovering him enough for the two to see.

As expected, the men was in his senior years, at least in his mid-sixties, with a head of gray hair and a wrinkled face, with black eyes and surprisingly tan skin for a man of his years. He had a square face, down to when his jaw line angled inward to his chin, and under the protective clothes he'd wore, he was dressed in a red shirt and light brown pants, which he pulled a lab coat over before reaching for his cane again.

"Wait a minute," Randy said.

"Doesn't he look familiar?" Mark asked.

The man hummed at them as he heard them speaking, tilting his head slightly. "Have we met before?" He asked.

"Not directly, but I know I've seen you somewhere," Mark replied, thinking back to where he might've recognized the man from. And then it hit him. "Aha! Now I remember!" He snapped his fingers. "You're Professor Oak, right?"

"Oh yeah! That's where I saw him before; that joint project he did with Professor Elm two years ago!" Randy exclaimed. "It was all the rage back in Hoenn!"

"Well, I confess you two have me at a loss," Oak commented, letting out a slight laugh. "You know who I am but I have no idea who you are."

"This is Randy," Mark introduced his companion, and then himself. "And I'm Mark."

"Apologies for my earlier behavior; I was concerned for your well-being," Oak stated. "But now that I know you aren't actually _from_ Kanto, I suppose it's not surprising you weren't aware of the state of this area."

Mark's smile faded. "About that," he began. "What exactly is happening here; why is the whole town blanketed in ash? We didn't see any fires on our way in."

"I'm afraid that the ashes aren't coming from any ordinary fire," Oak informed, beckoning them to follow as he walked over to a nearby window and stared out into the ash fall beyond with a saddened expression. "This unfortunate calamity is being caused by the volcano on Cinnabar Island."

"I thought that volcano was dormant?" Randy asked.

"Until a year ago, it _was_ ," Oak replied. "The last time it erupted was almost a decade ago, when it destroyed the island and the town that was built there. But not long after it returned to its dormancy, and we thought it was over. But then, last summer, it suddenly went off again. There was not even a tremor or billowing smoke to give any sort of warning it was about to go; everyone in town awoke to this deafening explosion heard even from here, and sure enough, the volcano was erupting again."

"It blew up just like that?" Mark asked in disbelief.

"Yes," replied Oak. "I'm surprised you boys don't know about it; I would assume it would have aired on the news in all of the regions."

"I haven't watched television in a long time," Randy asked.

"Me neither," Mark replied. "Summer of last year I would've probably been out travelling. Hoenn may not be _too_ far from Kanto but far enough I'd never have seen the Cinnabar Volcano going off out in the country."

Oak sighed. "Well, unfortunately, that's all I know about it so far."

"Is the town deserted because of the ash fall?" Mark asked.

"Yes," Oak replied. "It became such a hazard, everyone was forced to evacuate, even the Pokémon who lived in the area."

"Then why are you still here, Professor?" Randy asked, quizzically.

"I still hope to find out exactly what happened; to find out what caused this catastrophe," Oak replied. "Everyone insists it's a natural occurrence, but..." He grimaced. "Something about this whole ordeal just doesn't _feel_ natural; like there's more going on." He put up his hand before either of them could say anything. "And yes, I know; the ramblings of an old man."

"I... wasn't going to say that," Mark replied. "I was going to ask, have you found anything to support this theory?"

Oak actually smiled slightly as Mark asked that. "Not yet, but I have a few more things yet to try," he said. "I'm surprised you don't think I'm just being paranoid; even my own grandson does."

"I'm no geologist professor, but even I know for a fact that it's extremely rare for a volcano to erupt without warning," replied Mark. "There's almost always a sign it's going to happen, even if that clue was hidden beneath the waves around the island."

Oak nodded. "Too true," he agreed. "Now, you mentioned earlier you were in Pallet looking for someone? Or something?"

"Someone," Mark confirmed. "We were actually here looking for your grandson, ironically. And for Red as well."

"Ah," Oak replied. "Well, Blue you can find in Viridian City; he moved there after the town was evacuated."

"And Red?"

"He... might be a little harder," Oak admitted. "Red and his mother moved to Pewter City, but you see, Red is almost never there."

Mark tilted his head curiously. "Why not?" He asked.

"He's been travelling constantly for years now, looking for a Legendary Pokémon called Mew," replied Oak. "He wants to be the first trainer to find and capture one."

Randy suddenly burst out laughing at the mention of Mew. "Are you kidding me? _Mew_?" He asked. "The Legendary 'ancestor' of all Pokémon? Come on, Professor, that thing's just a myth. The origins of Pokémon are as unknown as the origins of humanity."

Much to Mark's surprise, Randy's outburst did not seem to bother Professor Oak at all. In fact, he was still smiling, as though he knew something they didn't. "You may be surprised," he commented, and Randy stopped laughing. "It's not my place to say what it is, but let's just say that Red carries with him the most definitive proof of Mew's existence that has ever been found."

Those words sparked Mark's curiosity; what could the professor have meant by that? Did Red carry a fossilized piece of Mew? Or some discarded appendage? Actually, Mark did not even know what Mew looked like; he'd only heard stories about it from his mother, and a few artist's interpretations, but never anything definitive. Science had never been able to determine precisely what it was or where it might have inhabited; the only clues to its existence having been small pieces turned up by archaeology and biological research on Pokémon themselves.

If Mew existed, it was the most elusive Pokémon to have ever lived. Red was either very certain or madly obsessed to be searching for something like that.

"Anyway," Oak continued. "You two should wait here until the ash fall at least lightens, and you might want to clean up while you wait." He waved his arm towards their legs, and they looked down at themselves to see they were covered in ash and soot from being outside.

"Oh geez," Mark grunted.

"Well, we're just a mess, aren't we?" Randy asked, rhetorically.

"I'm afraid I don't have any fancy laundry facilities here," Oak began. "But there's a washroom over by the windmill access door; you can use the shower in there to try and wash out the ash. I trust you have a change of clothes, both of you?"  
"A traveller is always prepared," Mark replied. "Thank you, professor."

"My pleasure. If you need anything else, I'll be working here in the lab." He adjusted his coat. "Speaking of which, I better get back to it. Oh!" He pointed past the two. "On the wall back there are some facemasks; don't go outside without them –using shirts for filters only works for so long."

"Right."

After spending part of the day at Professor Oak's lab, Mark and Randy departed from Pallet Town, bidding goodbye to Oak and wishing him luck with his research, and heading north on the road to Viridian City. As they passed over the first low rise, Mark turned to look back towards the south, staring off in the direction of Cinnabar Island, seen from the plume of smoke rising from its gaping mouth and climbing high into the sky, but only barely visible on account of the next oncoming ash fall, deep in thought as he stared at the peak.

 _'Now I wonder if I'll ever be able to look at Mt. Chimney the same way again_ ,' he thought to himself before he resumed walking, hurriedly catching up to Randy as they carried on.

Once they were clear of the ash fall area, Mark let Vitesse out of her ball so that she could walk with them, preferring to have her at his side rather than confined in a ball. After this, he shrugged off his backpack to retrieve his bingo book from it, and began to look over the information the book had on Blue to begin planning his strategy for when he faced him, starting with finding out what kind of Pokémon he could expect to see from the Viridian Gym Leader.

Noticing Mark's sudden silence, Randy glanced over at him, finding him with his nose in that book. "What'cha reading?" He asked.

"It's a bingo book I made of all the trainers I'll be facing on my journey," Mark replied, flipping a page. "I'm looking up some information on Blue to help plan a strategy when I face him."

"Ah, thinking ahead then?" Randy asked. "Kind of like the tricky maneuvers Shadow performs in battle."

Mark only nodded, although he wasn't sure how similar his tactical approach was to Randy's trickery; sure both were technically opening strategies –which is just what he was postulating, but Mark preferred to open with a display of his Pokémon's specialties, rather than using his Pokémon as traps or hidden surprises the enemy might already expect if they know enough about the team he's bringing with him. Or at least, that's how Mark felt about it.

Although who was he to talk? Randy had beaten him for just that reason; he didn't know what to expect. It was actually because of him that Mark adopted this new approach to battle.

Going back to his study on Blue, he checked the listed Pokémon that he was recorded to use the most often. His signature Blastoise, along with an Arcanine, an Alakazam, a Rhydon, a Gyarados and a Machamp; his entire selection seemed focused on heavy hitters. _'A Power team, mostly physical too; I might be able to use that.'_ He thought.

Against the Physical Attackers, Vitesse or Tanker would be ideal; even with type disadvantages against them, such as Rhydon's Ground-type and Tanker's Steel-type, his Pokémon being of effective typing against them as well would prove to be the balancing act. Beyond that, Tanker's defense was so strong he'd be able to withstand physical attacks even from Rhydon or Machamp, and Vitesse was more than fast enough to outmaneuver them, especially if she Mega Evolved.

He had some concerns, though... what if it turned out Tanker was the better choice to Mega Evolve? Mark had never actually used Mega Steelix in battle; he knew thanks to Professor Sycamore's tests that Tanker's metal body would become virtually indestructible in mega form, but it also made him so much heavier that he became slower; against a speedy Fire-type like Arcanine or a distance Water-type like Blastoise, he wouldn't stand a chance.

 _'Okay... Tanker; even if he's weak against them, can take on Gyarados, Machamp and Rhydon thanks to his defense. Otherwise, I should send Vitesse against Gyarados; her Thunderpunch and speed would make short work of it. Siren against Alakazam; her high Special Defense should let her withstand those Psychic attacks at a distance. Vitesse or Palm Tree, depending on their statuses at the time, will take on Machamp, and Fang will be backup for them and Siren.'_ He nodded to himself, and as he wandered onward, began to form his opening strategies he would bring to the battle against Blue.

Viridian City.

The western-most city of Kanto was not the largest of cities, paling in comparison to metropolis' like Celadon and Saffron. In fact, among the places labelled 'city' it was actually the very smallest, built in a roundabout fashion on the southern edge of the Viridian Forest that stretched out almost all the way to the northern mountains and the heel of Mt. Moon to the North-East.

Aside from being the home of a Pokémon Gym, Viridian City had nothing truly stand-out about it. It was a simple place but rich with history; it was the last stop for many trainers who were on their way to the Pokémon League, both as where they receive their eighth badge and before they took the western road towards the Indigo Plateau. But in the darker parts of that history circulated rumours that the Viridian Gym, prior to being taken over by Blue Oak, was run by a high-ranking member of Team Rocket years ago. This rumour was not yet confirmed, as the only one who might know for certain would have been the last trainer who battled them, but nobody knew for certain who that trainer was.

"Alright, girl," Mark said to Vitesse. "Our first challenge is here in this city. You as ready for this as I am?"

 _"Cha!_ " The Blaziken returned with vigour, pumping her arms and meeting her trainer's gaze, letting Mark see the anticipation ablaze in her eyes.

"Wow, she sounds excited," Randy commented.

"Out of all my Pokémon, Vitesse was the most excited to begin this journey," Mark replied. "The call of battle just comes to her, like most Fighting-types."

Randy nodded, shrugging his knapsack from his shoulders and bringing it around before he dug into the top and lifted out a video camera. "I better just make sure the batteries in this are still good, and then I'll be ready to record your match with Blue."

"I can't believe _I_ didn't think of bringing a camcorder with me when I came out here," Mark commented. "Or at least a journal or something –just something to bring home, share with my mom and recap."

"Well, luckily, you got me coming along," Randy replied with a smug grin, but softened his expression shortly after. "Making a copy of the footage will be easy; I got you covered."

"Thanks, man," Mark returned graciously, feeling a little better about bringing Randy along with him for this journey –at least for now, until they parted ways.

"Now, let's find that gym and get some video," Randy urged, walking ahead of Mark as he began to search the streets for any sign of the gym.

Mark chuckled, amused by how Randy suddenly seemed more eager for this battle than even _he_ was, and it was him who would be challenging Blue, not Randy. He looked at Vitesse briefly, before he began to walk ahead, followed promptly by the Blaziken.

After a short search and a couple of stops to ask directions, the three eventually found their way to the Viridian Gym, finding themselves standing before the gym. To Mark, the gym's design seemed rather odd; from the ground-up, it was built with marble bricks forming the base and around the door, but above this its walls took on a deep bronze colour that seemed to reflect the sun beaming down from above. The roof was where it most stood out; one half of the roof actually rose higher than the other, a wall cutting between them to support the upper portion, but both sides had rounding roofs to direct rain and snow off of the sides.

Mark tilted his head at the unusual layout of the Gym, grimacing as he studying its architecture. "I wonder who designed this place." He said.

"Whoever did was a little off balance, I'd say," returned Randy.

"Agreed," Mark returned with a sigh as he once more looked at Vitesse, their eyes meeting briefly before they both nodded at the same time and stepped forward together, pushing open the doors and stepping into the gym, light spilling through the now opened door to fill the inside of the Gym as they entered.

With Randy bringing up the rear and shutting the doors behind them, they found the inside of the gym was unlit except for light spilling in from the skylights above, revealing the battlefield in the very center, covered in sand and gravel from one end to the other. Mark had heard the gym had once specialized in Ground-types with its old leader; Blue must not have changed much since he had taken over the position.

Much to Mark's dismay, though, the gym seemed empty; there was no sign of Blue anywhere. "Okay, the door was unlocked... but where's Blue?" Mark asked.

"Maybe he stepped out for a snack," suggested Randy.

"And left the gym wide open for just anyone to walk in?" Mark returned. "Seems kind of like a dumbass move."

 _"Chik-ik_ ," Vitesse clucked, tapping Mark on the shoulder to get his attention before pointing with one hand off to the left.

Following her talon, Mark saw, way off in the corner, a bench against the far well. As his eyes began to adjust to the lighting, he saw a figure lying prone on one of the benches, motionlessly stretched out across it with their arms tucked behind their head. A young man in a green jacket with a black undershirt and blue jeans with brown shoes, had spiky brown hair and the tanned skin of a traveller, with a belt of Poké Balls visibly peeking out from under his jacket as he lay snoring across the bench.

"You've got to be kidding me," Mark mumbled.

"Is that... Blue?" Randy asked.

"Yep," Mark replied.

"Why the hell is he sleeping?"

"No idea," Mark replied. He stood staring in disbelief at the young man before, with a sigh, he decided to awaken the Gym Leader.

Stepping up to the bench, he knelt down next to the sleeping Gym Leader, lifting up his hand and tapping on his shoulder repeatedly. "Good morning merry sunshine," he said.

Blue mumbled slightly, his eyes opening halfway before falling shut again, humming slightly as he forced one open, staring up at Mark's annoyed blue eyes as he slowly roused himself from his slumber.

At the sight of Mark, Blue suddenly seemed to jolt awake, sitting up so abruptly he nearly butted heads with the Hoenn trainer if not for how quickly Mark pulled away to avoid such a collision. "Ah! Was I asleep?" Blue asked.

"Yeah," Mark and Randy returned, simultaneously.

"Sorry about that," Blue replied, standing up from the bench and letting out a yawn. "Been a real slow week; haven't had anybody come by for a while now; guess I got bored." He rotated his head a little to loosen up his neck, before he added. "Not like there's a trainer in Kanto who can beat me anyway."

 _'Don't be so modest,'_ Mark thought chidingly with an arched eyebrow. "Ooookay," he said.

Blue turned to them again after messing with his hair for a moment, and then his gaze fell to Mark and Randy's feet, and then asked, "you guys didn't happen to come from Pallet, did you?"

"We did," Mark replied, looking down. "How'd you –oh..."

Their pants were still covered in ash from them trudging through it all the way out of Pallet town.

"Well there go my spare clothes," Mark stated with a chuckle.

"Eh, ash comes out easily, right?" Randy asked.

"I think so, yeah."

Blue tilted his head. "What were you guys even doing in Pallet to begin with? Didn't you know the whole town was abandoned because of Cinnabar's last eruption?"

"We didn't, until after we ran into your grandpa," Randy replied.

At that, Blue seemed to become more attentive, looking at Randy for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "So he's _still_ out there?" He asked, shaking his head. "When is he just going to accept it was just a natural occurrence?"

"You don't share his belief that it isn't?" Mark inquired.

"Of course not," Blue replied. "Volcanoes erupt sometimes; the Cinnabar Volcano blew its top nine years ago, and then it went off again summer last year; it wasn't dormant yet. Case closed. But my gramps always wants to look deeper into things; just doesn't believe the most obvious explanation is sometimes the _right_ one."

"He's a scientist; isn't it their job to always see a bigger picture than the rest of us?" Randy asked rhetorically.

Blue shrugged. "He wants to waste his life out in that ghost town I can't stop him," he said. "Anyway, so what were you doing out there? Even before the eruption Pallet was a backwater so you couldn't have been there for anything major."

"Actually," Mark began, deciding to get straight to the point. "I was there looking for _you_ , Blue."

Blue tilted his head. "Come again?"

"You see, I've come over here from the Hoenn Region on a brand new journey," Mark explained. "I'm out to challenge the top trainers in all of the Regions, and I chose to start my journey in Kanto. You were among the top three, so that's why I'm here."

"So you're here to challenge me to a battle, huh?" Blue asked, studying Mark closely as though sizing him up. After a brief silence, Blue turned his head away, elevating his nose. "Nah."

Mark frowned. "Why not?"

"I don't just battle _anyone_ who walks into my gym," Blue replied. "I'm far too busy to take on some tourist."

"Says the guy who we found _sleeping_ in his own Pokémon Gym during open hours?" Randy asked incredulously, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow. He received a dirty look from Blue in retaliation, to which he replied. "Hey, no judging man, but your schedule obviously can't be _that_ packed if you can take a nap."

"Okay so maybe I'm not busy," Blue admitted with an annoyed tone, tucking his arms behind his head and once more turning his nose up. "But other than official Gym battles I only battle with trainers who at least have a name for themselves."

"How about a former Hoenn Champion?" Mark asked.

That seemed to catch Blue's ear; he lowered his gaze to look at Mark, a curious look in his eyes. "You're telling me that you're an Ex-Champion?" He asked.

Mark nodded. "I am, and I have a witness with me to vouch for it," he said, gesturing to Randy.

Randy nodded to Blue. "He speaks the truth, man; I battled him at the League personally."

Blue glanced at Randy again, though only for a second, before his eyes shifted back to Mark, arms dropping back to his sides as he hummed with consideration. Eventually, his expressionless face stretched out to a grin, and Mark knew Blue was intrigued.

"Alright then," he said. "If you're a former Champ, then I suppose you're worth a battle. I'll accept your challenge." He gestured to the battle area stretched out before them. "Right here in this Gym should work."

"Agreed," Mark returned, turning to look back at Vitesse who had been standing quietly at the back of the group thus far. They nodded to each other, and with that, Mark made his way over to the challenger's side of the area, feeling his heart beginning to increase in tempo as his excitement began to rise.

He was about to have his first battle in the Kanto Region! How he'd waited for this... he'd now get to see just what it was like battling a trainer from a completely different place. Kanto was one of the first places Pokémon had ever been discovered, and one of the earliest regions settled by humans to study them. Here, the world of badges and leagues had begun, decades before Mark's time at least, and it was said that some of the greatest trainers in history had come from the Kanto Region, and that included the three Mark was there for, along with others that pre-dated them.

Now it was his turn to find out just how good the trainers of Kanto were.

Off to the side, Mark noticed Randy setting up his camera at the edge of the battlefield, deploying a tripod mount for it and placing it on top before he switched on the camera, and let it begin recording the battle. "And, action," he muttered with a mild chuckle. "Always wanted to say that."

"Alright," Blue began as he took his position, plucking a Poké Ball from his belt and expanding it in his hand with a touch of the button. "Since you're the challenger, I'll pick first."

"Go ahead," Mark replied.

"Go, Rhydon!" Blue called as he tossed the ball forward, releasing the Pokémon inside.

From its confines emerged the Pokémon; a large, gray, bipedal creature in the likeness of a dinosaur and a rhinoceros, with a rugged body, a cream-coloured underbelly of armour-like, slate scales, protrusions rising from its head and spikes ridges jutting out from its cheeks. It had red eyes, glaring out from behind a round, drill-like protruding from the tip of its muzzle over the nostrils. A powerful gray tail swept over the ground behind it, kicking up a cloud of dust as it growled in a feral manner upon its emergence.

 _'Starting with a heavy Pokémon_ , _just as I hoped he would,'_ Mark thought. _'Ground/Rock-type Rhydon. A Pokémon_ _focused purely on strength and defense.'_ He reached into his vest. _'Ideally, Siren or Palm Tree could work here, but Rhydon might be able to take down Palm with a Rock-type move, and I should save Siren for dealing with Blue's Special Attackers, so I'll pit one immovable force against another.'_

"Go, Tanker!" Mark called as he cast his chosen Pokémon forth.

Out of the ball the Steelix materialized, rising to his full height and casting a shadow from the skylights over the Rhydon, who remained steadfast even as their red eyes met, both of them growling loudly with anticipation.

"You're pitting a Steel-type against a Ground-type?" Blue asked. "Any beginner knows a Water would be best."

"I'm not so foolish as to believe you haven't thought of something like that before," Mark returned. "I'm well aware Rhydon is among many Pokémon who can learn certain Electric-type moves through Technical Machine. Besides, Rhydon's a Rock-type as well, and Steelix is _also_ a Ground-type himself, so we're even."

"Thinking ahead, eh?" Blue asked, nodding in approval. "Well, no matter; it's lucky for you I didn't teach Rhydon any Fire-type moves, but I won't need 'em!" He pointed at Tanker. "Rhydon, Drill Run!"

Rhydon jumped, and in midair, began to spin like a giant top, as it arched in Tanker's direction, gliding over the ground at him like a missile, tearing through the sandy floor.

"Iron Defense!" Mark called to Tanker.

Tanker, acting quickly, coiled himself up on the floor, positioning his head to take the hit as his body seemed to gleam brightly, his metallic bodily sections becoming shinier and grinding noisily together as they expanded, waiting as Rhydon plunged towards him.

An ear-splitting screech filled the entire building as Rhydon spiralled into Tanker, forcing both trainers, and the spectating Randy to cover their ears, as well as Vitesse, who was standing behind Mark as she waited her turn. The noise was so sharp it made Mark have to clench his eyes, his teeth gritting sharply as he struggled to block out the sound as the two Pokémon clashed. Finally, Rhydon's momentum lessened enough that Tanker was able counter attack, raising his head high and pushing Rhydon away, sending it into a backflip that it just barely managed to pull out of to land on its feet.

Mark acted fast, hoping Tanker's hearing was still better than his at that moment. "Now, Iron Head!"

Complying with Mark's command, Tanker rushed forward, charging Rhydon as fast as he could move his massive, megaton body and swinging his head at Rhydon. Blue tried to call out a command to Rhydon, but he was too slow, and the Pokémon was stricken by the wrecking ball of force generated by Tanker swinging his massive head, smashing into Rhydon and sending it skidding across the floor in a plume of dust as high as the ceiling.

When the dust cleared, Rhydon was back on its feet, battered but still standing. "Rhydon, Earthquake!" Blue called.

"Tanker, Earthquake!" Mark called almost in unison to his Steelix.

At almost the exact same time, the two Pokémon unleashed their attacks, causing a massive ripple through the ground towards one another that made half of the floor seem to move like water rather than the solids they should have been, the sandy floor in the middle rising up like a tsunami as the two attacks met halfway, and then the very center of the ring exploded, sending rocks and dirt scattering all over the room, even shattering the windows above.

"Rhydon, get in and use Horn Drill!" Blue called.

Even with Tanker's superior defense, he'd never survive a direct hit from Horn Drill. Thinking fast as Rhydon charged across the room, he issued his next command to Tanker. "Use Rock Tomb!"

Tanker reared back and roared deafeningly towards the ceiling as giant boulders materialized above him and began to fall towards Rhydon, showering it with massive stones meant to impede its charge. But they proved futile; Rhydon's spinning horn was splitting the stones like eggshells, destroying them utterly and not even slowing Rhydon in the slightest.

Mark could only do the next thing that came to mind, and called to Tanker. "Dig, hurry!"

Tanker arched away from Rhydon, diving through the air and plunging face-first into the floor, crashing through and disappearing length by length beneath the surface, and not a moment too soon as Rhydon closed in on him, arriving a second too late as its target was now gone.

"You can't get away that easily!" Blue declared. "Rhydon, use Earthquake again to flush him out!"

Rhydon compliantly grunted, and raised its foot to stomp the ground, bringing it down with such force the entire building seemed to groan in protest. For battles like this, the arena was often built upon a separate foundation to make sure attacks like Earthquake wouldn't collapse the whole structure, but Rhydon's Earthquake was so powerful that even the well-made Viridian Gym seemed at risk to its force.

Not to mention Tanker. He exploded from the ground halfway across the arena, several scratches in his armour plating where stone and dirt had dug into his body. Despite his incredible defense, the attack had done significant harm, stunning him for the brief moment Blue needed for his next move.

"Alright, Rhydon; Rock Polish, and then Horn Drill again!"

As instructed, Rhydon used Rock Polish, its body seemingly smoothed over by an unknown force and taking on a brighter, shinier appearance, like it had just been scrubbed with a fresh coat of wax. When its body had been sufficiently altered by Rock Polish, it carried on its second command, the horn on its snout beginning to spin at high velocity again, generating a shower of sparks as it spun up until it was fast enough for the attack.

With that, Rhydon charged, nearly twice as fast as before, closing in on Tanker like a runaway truck. Mark called for the still stunned Steelix to get out of the way, but he was only just barely coming out of the daze caused by being caught in the Earthquake. He tried to move, but Rhydon was faster, pouncing at Tanker and driving its horn directly into Tanker's body. The Steelix roared in agony as the Rhydon bored into him, sending white-hot pain through his entire body, and leaving a deep impression in the spot where the horn had landed.

"Shit; Tanker, come back!" Mark called, raising Tanker's Poké Ball and quickly using the recall function before too much damage could be done.

Tanker dematerialized and was drawn back into the Poké Ball, letting Rhydon drop to the ground now that its target was gone, and leaving Mark feeling perturbed and a little bothered by what had just happened. _'I wasn't ready for Horn Drill,'_ thought Mark.

"I have to hand it to you," Blue began as Rhydon returned to its starting position. "That Steelix was _tough_. I raised my Rhydon specifically to take on heavyweight Pokémon like Steelix, yet with that Defense Curl, he took Drill Run without even flinching."

"Tanker's got a really dense body," Mark replied. "Virtually no Physical attack can take him down, but that Horn Drill... apparently that was the exception."

"It may be really hard to hit with," Blue stated. "But, when it lands, it takes them down without fail, so you need to be faster than your target."

Mark narrowed his eyes. _'I see. Rock Polish, plus Horn Drill... Steelix are tough but not fast; anything not fast enough to get out of Rhydon's way would get smashed, no matter how strong their armour is. A high defense usually trumps Speed, but even the strongest wall will collapse under enough cannon fire, and Rhyhorn may as well be a Howitzer.'_

"Alright, I'm going to stick with Rhydon," Blue stated. "Let's see what you've got next for me, Ex-Champ."

"You might be surprised," Mark returned as he considered his next move. _'I wanted to save Siren for taking on Blue's Arcanine or Alakazam; use her Special Defense and healing to outlast them.'_

He looked over his shoulder. _'Vitesse could take Rhydon pretty easily... but I should save her as my trump card for now. So, Siren it is then.'_

"Go, Siren!" Mark called, casting Siren's Poké Ball forth and calling her out for battle. The Milotic elicited a long, high-pitched cry as she materialized into being, curling up on her tail as she rose high over the floor, her ruby eyes finding her opponent and narrowing.

"A Water-type," Blue stated. "The obvious choice, but I was prepared for that!"

"We'll see about that," Mark returned.

"Alright then, the next battle is on!" Blue called. "Rhydon; Thunderbolt!"

"Disarming Voice!" Mark called.

Rhydon's horn crackled with electricity, but Siren was quicker, letting out a high-pitched, yet somehow alluring screech at the Rhydon, visibly distorting the air in front of her mouth as her voice struck the Rhydon nigh instantaneously, stumbling it and making it lose its aim, sending the Thunderbolt off trajectory and causing it to miss Siren completely.

"Now, Water Pulse!" Mark called.

Siren reared back her head, a sphere of condensed water forming in front of her mouth, before with a sharp cry, she launched the orb towards Rhydon. Still dazed by Disarming Voice, Rhydon failed to even try to move in time, taking the attack straight to its face and being knocked senseless by the Water-type attack.

It let out a weak, pained roar as it fell back, dropping to the sand with a dull crash and becoming still and silent...

"Rhydon!" Blue called out, but the beastly Pokémon didn't respond to his trainer, remaining conclusively sprawled out on the floor. With a scowl, Blue picked up Rhydon's Poké Ball and recalled it back to its confines, letting out a sigh. "Seems your sea serpent there was just a smidge faster than Rhydon, and with the damage Rhydon took against your Steelix, that was all the difference."

"Sometimes the smallest difference is all it takes," Mark commented. Now the battle was even again, and Blue had to choose his next Pokémon.

"Alright, time to get serious!" Blue declared, choosing his next Poké Ball. "Go, Alakazam!" He bellowed as he cast the ball forth, releasing the Pokémon within.

The resident of the ball was a yellow, bipedal vulpine with an almost humanoid structure to its body, with a long, thin muzzle, two ear-like spikes protruding from the back of its head and additional ones from each cheek, covered in fur. From the sides of its muzzle, a long mustache grew, each length of the mustache almost as long as Mark's forearm, and over its skeletal-like upper-torso was an armour-like section, covering its torso, shoulders and forearms with matching ones around its legs. In its two three-fingered hands, it carried silver spoons which were floating above its palms as it floated over the floor in a meditative pose, with its legs crossed and arms held out.

 _'Been a while since I battled an Alakazam,'_ thought Mark _. 'I'll keep Siren out for now; Alakazam doesn't learn a lot of Physical Attacks, and even if it did, it's not exactly a power puncher, so she should be able to handle it.'_ "Siren, Aqua Ring!" Mark called.

The Milotic became enshrouded by a veil of water at Mark's command, coating her body from nose to tail in a healing liquid. With that, he ordered her to use her next attack, which was Disarming Voice again, unleashing the same cry that had stumbled Rhydon before.

"Light Screen!" Blue called.

Alakazam crossed the spoons clutched in its hands in front of it as a transparent wall with a rainbow sheen materialized in front of it, blocking Siren's oncoming attack from reaching it. With that, it Counter-Attacked without Blue even vocally issuing a command, firing a Psybeam back at Siren; a bolt filled with a rainbow of colours lanced across the gym floor, striking Siren directly. She reeled, but stayed upright, eliciting as deep a growl as she could make. However the marks left by Blue's attack were not only minimal, they were already disappearing under the healing effects of Aqua Ring.

"Another defender, huh?" Blue asked. "And this one heals itself... okay then." He looked at Alakazam, the Psychic-type glancing over its shoulder and nodding back to him, before Alakazam returned to its previous pose, sitting cross-legged and hovering off of the ground, becoming still.

Mark watched for only a second of wondering what Alakazam was up to before making his next move. "Siren, Water Pulse!"

Conjuring another condensed sphere of water, Siren blasted Alakazam with the projectile just as it returned to a regular pose. Bracing itself, Alakazam took the attack head-on, dousing his body with water and visibly shaking it, but it stood its ground defiantly, glaring back at Siren and attacking with another Psybeam. This time, though, the attack was even stronger; Siren recoiled from the attack with a pained cry, skidding across the floor slightly and tensing from the impact.

"Siren! Are you okay?" Mark asked.

She opened her eyes, and nodded back to Mark before facing Alakazam again. Mark narrowed his eyes with suspicion, glaring deeply at the Alakazam across from them. _'It must've used Calm Mind; that's what it was doing when it went into that pose... but I didn't hear Blue issue that command or either of the Psybeams Alakazam's been using. Is it actually acting all on its own without its trainer?'_

He had no time to worry about it, though; Alakazam was attacking again, this time using another attack entirely, conjuring countless rugged shapes all around itself, made up of Psychic energy, which raced across the room towards Siren. She maneuvered out of the way of some of them, but the rest found their mark, making her cringe with pain as she was bombarded by the projectiles; Alakazam had used Psyshock, once more without hearing the command from its own trainer; Psyshock was a very unique Psychic attack in that even though it was cast from afar, it function as a Physical move; Blue had figured out Siren's weakness!

"Siren, Recover!" Mark ordered.

In response, her body glowed a bright white, healing energies combined with the healing waters of Aqua Ring mixing together to revitalize the Milotic, restoring her to near perfect health. She rose up on her tail again, glaring defiantly at Alakazam, and at Mark's command, attacked with another Water Pulse. Alakazam fired back with Psybeam, the two attacks colliding in midair, but Psybeam proved to be the stronger, breaching through Water Pulse and striking Siren again, having the same results as earlier. Fortunate it was that Siren had healed herself, reducing the damage of the attack...

But then he saw Siren behaving strangely. She was waving side-to-side, the ribbon-like appendages growing from her head swaying about with her teeter-tottering movement. "Siren?" Mark asked, trying to get her attention.

He gawked when he saw her plunge her head into the sand, creating a small dust plume around her skull. She did this several more times, seemingly trying to dive beneath the surface of the ground, but she couldn't use Dig, yet she was behaving as though she were on the surface of water, and...

The realization struck him like a sack of hammers. ' _Oh shit!'_ He screamed in his mind. ' _That Psybeam must've confused her!'_

"Well done, Alakazam!" Blue called. "Now, finish this off with Psyshock!"

Once more, Alakazam conjured those psionic projectiles, bombarding Siren with them and only worsening her condition, because now the reminder that she was under attack had sent her into a frenzy; she fired Water Pulses in random directions, unable to heed Mark's call for her to use Recover again, and Aqua Ring wasn't working quickly enough for the damage she had taken. Alakazam seized the opportunity to fire one more Psybeam, and that was it.

Siren fell, collapsing to the floor with a pained cry, and laying in a mess of coils and sand as she drifted out of consciousness. Mark ran out to the field, approaching Siren and kneeling down next to her, confirming that she was out.

 _'Dammit!_ Both _of my defenders; how's that possible?!'_ Mark thought in disbelief. _'Rhyhorn I get, but Alakazam doesn't have a one-hit knockout move like Horn Drill, and yet Siren still couldn't beat it! Now not only am I out two Pokémon, I have no defenders left to deal with his speedsters!'_

Mark stood up, looking at Blue. "How the hell were you issuing orders to Alakazam without speaking anyway?" He asked.

"Because of Mind Reader," replied Blue. "Alakazam's been using it on me since the very start of this battle. See, it's a little trick I learned battling Sabrina back in Saffron; she never speaks an order to her Psychic-type Pokémon, because they're telepathically linked to her so they know what she wants them to do the moment she thinks it, allowing Pokémon to react much quicker. I figured out how she did this, and so Alakazam and I learned how to do it ourselves, so my opponent never knows what I'm going to do until I'm already doing it."

 _'Alakazam's linked to Blue's thought pattern?'_ Mark thought, visibly startled by this. He'd never seen such a tactic before; Hoenn's own Psychic-type Gym run by the twins Tate and Liza didn't use such a strategy with their Pokémon –if anything they only communicated with each other, knowing what plans each of them had in mind in order to work in perfect unison, but Blue had taken it even further and was mind-liked directly to his Pokémon, letting him issue orders by just a thought, saving precious seconds from barking out orders.

First Rhydon had beaten Tanker's seemingly insurmountable defense, and now Alakazam had defeated Siren under the same circumstances, overwhelming her defenses or bypassing them completely until the results of the battle were set in stone.

 _'This is the first trainer of the three I came to Kanto in order to battle, and he's as tough as Steven,'_ Mark thought. ' _Kanto's trainers are worthy of their reputation. I knew this journey wasn't going to be easy... Hell I was_ counting _on that, but I hope I didn't get in over my head either. I have to think this through... come up with a new strategy.'_

"What's wrong; losing your nerve?" Blue called.

"Just a moment," Mark replied. "Things haven't gone according to plan so far."

"Well hurry up," Blue urged, crossing his arms. "I haven't got all day."

Ignoring him, Mark returned to his thinking, replaying the battle in his head repeatedly, trying to find something he could use to decide his next move. ' _Let's see; he's got one of his distance fighters out -Alakazam are fast, and their Psychic powers are really strong, but they're like glass cannons –they hit hard but break easily._

 _'Blue boosted Alakazam's Special Defense to deal with a distance fighter like Siren; he's entirely focused on fighting his opponents from afar, so I need to find a way to get in close; one clean hit might actually be all that it takes. Trick is, though, Alakazam is quick to respond to Blue's thoughts, so as soon as one of my Pokémon try to rush in, Blue will respond accordingly to keep them away. Psychic types are most vulnerable to Dark-types, but I bet he's taught Alakazam Focus Blast or Signal Beam just for that; I bring out Fang, Blue will spring that trap right when I can't stop it._

 _'And then there are his attacks –at least the ones I've seen... Light Screen, Calm Mind, Psyshock for Physical Damage, Psy_ Beam _for Special Damage; a very balanced move pool. It also knows Mind Reader, which it's only using on its own trainer to keep in touch with him. As long as Blue sees what I'm going to do, so will...'_

He gasped sharply as his mind flashed back briefly to his battle with Randy, between Coal and Velox, and then it finally hit him. He knew what to do. "Got it!" He exclaimed, reaching hurriedly into his vest and pulling out his next Pokémon. "Here goes!"

"Ready to finally continue?" Blue mockingly asked Mark with a smug grin.

"Damn straight, and this time I know just how to do it!" Mark retorted, drawing back his arm and throwing the chosen Poké Ball forward. "Go get 'im!"

The ball opened, and from its confines emerged Coal, letting out a fierce growl as he somersaulted through the air until he touched down on both feet, blowing smoke from his nostrils as he took his place, growling again when he saw Alakazam.

Blue froze, eyes widening at the Charmeleon standing before him. "What... a Charmeleon?" He asked, staring at it with some shock as though seeing it had triggered something in him. Alakazam flinched, looking back over its shoulder with a questioning look for its trainer.

 _'He's distracted?'_ Mark wondered, before shaking his head. ' _Bad idea in the middle of a battle; now's my chance!'_ "Coal! Flame Burst!"

Coal inhaled sharply, and spat a fireball towards Alakazam while its head was turned away. Alakazam panicked, putting up its arms defensively as it failed to perceive its trainers reaction in time, suffering a direct hit from the fireball. Fortunately, its Calm Mind and Light Screen were still active, but the attack still made it skid a little, not to mention leaving it sweating from the heat and following shower of Embers.

"Alakazam, use Recover!" Blue ordered.

"Coal, close the distance!" Mark instructed.

As Alakazam followed the directions to heal itself, Coal went sprinting forward, kicking up sand with every step as he made a beeline straight for Alakazam, tail raised high and arms tucked in like a charging raptor to increase his agility. He saw Blue point at Coal, and when he saw the psychic projectiles of Psyshock materializing again, he knew what was coming.

"Coal, strafe!"

As the psychic projectiles bombarded Coal, the Charmeleon changed direction, turning on a dime and was off again after a short skid, running in a wide arc around Alakazam, who repeatedly cast a flurry of Psyshocks to attack Coal with, but not a single one found its target; Coal banked, ducked, dodged, even jumped and turned himself sideways to avoid a pair of projectiles that would have otherwise hit. One glanced off of his horn, the other passed under his leg, before both flew off into the wall behind Mark.

"Wow, little guy's faster than I thought," Randy commented, keeping his video camera fixed upon the action. "Moves like a Mankey on a sugar high."

When he was close enough, Mark issued the next part of his plan. "Coal, Smokescreen!"

Coal breathed in as he skidded to a stop, belching a big cloud of smoke from his open maw and blanketing Alakazam and Blue with black fog, obscuring their vision and making both cough hoarsely for a moment until it started to settle as Blue, expecting an attack at any moment, ordered Alakazam to use Calm Mind again, increasing his psychic powers and defenses further as he expected an attack to come at any second.

And then, Blue saw it; a dark silhouette in the smoke. Coal was about to attack again, he was sure of it. Alakazam turned in the same direction, bringing up his spoons and firing another Psybeam into the cloud, directly at the silhouette.

The beam found its mark.

But did nothing, because it was not Coal who emerged from the smoke.

Fang let out a fierce growl as he exploded from the cloud, startling Alakazam before he landed and pounced on him, clamping his jaws around Alakazam's arm and tackling him to the ground, biting the armoured portion of his arm hard while his paws held Alakazam down on the floor.

"What the heck?!" Blue demanded, and looked up as he saw the smoke starting to clear, noticing immediately that Coal was nowhere to be seen. "You switched behind the cover of the smoke?"

"I did," Mark replied.

Blue growled angrily, before calling out. "Alakazam, come on; shake him off!"

Alakazam struggled furiously with Fang, but it was futile; the Mightyena was just as big as they Psychic-type, but he was much stronger and heavier, keeping it pinned down as Fang repeatedly used a Crunch attack on Alakazam's arm, each bite more painful than the last.

"Focus Blast with your free hand!" Blue called.

"Fang, jump away!" Mark called upon hearing Blue's order, finally having the moment he was waiting for.

As ordered, Fang let go of Alakazam, and jumped off of him in the nick of time as a yellow sphere was conjured into Alakazam's left hand, which it attempted to hit Fang with, but the Mightyena got out of the way just in time to avoid the attack, which strayed off to strike the ground nearby with a huge explosion marking its landing.

"Now, use Torment!" Mark called out.

Fang turned to Alakazam, his eyes glowing a bright red as he let out a howl, while Alakazam was suddenly surrounded by an aura that seemed to match the colour of Fang's eyes; Alakazam cringed, grabbing its stomach as if in pain for a few seconds, but when the aura subsided, he shook his head, clearing it and stood back up to its full height, looking a little perturbed but otherwise unharmed.

"Ha, it did nothing to him!" Blue jeered, and pointed at Fang again. "Focus Blast!"

Alakazam cupped its hands at its side, the two spoons in its grasp floating freely as an orb of yellow energy appeared between its paws, swirling and pulsing. But just as suddenly, it vanished, and Alakazam grabbed at its chest again, that red aura pulsating from its body once more even though Fang hadn't moved or used the attack again.

"Alakazam? What's wrong?" Blue demanded.

"Now Fang, Crunch!"

The Mightyena launched himself at Alakazam again as the Psychic-type tried to use Focus Blast one more time, only for it to fail again, and this time Fang's jaws found their way to Alakazam, biting hard onto the shoulder and once more dragging it to the ground under its weight as the Alakazam cried out in agony, struggling to get out from underneath Fang, but this time the Mightyena was not letting him go, his jaws progressively biting harder and harder until the armour-like torso of Alakazam actually began to cave under their pressure.

"Alakazam, come back!" Blue reluctantly called, using Alakazam's Poké Ball to bring him back into the safety of its confines and away from Fang, who relaxed now that his opponent was gone from the battlefield. "I don't get it; why didn't Focus Blast work again? Alakazam's always been able to cast it more than once."

"Because Torment is a Dark-type move that stops an opponent hit with it from using the same attack twice," Mark explained. "I knew you were too smart to risk teaching Alakazam _only_ Psychic-type moves in the event it had to fight a Dark-type like Fang; I didn't know what the attack was going to be, but as soon as I saw you use it, I had Fang use Torment to stop you from using it a second time, which would force you to choose a different attack entirely.

"I also only saw you use Status moves or anything to bolster Alakazam," Mark continued. "The only two offensive attacks you used against Siren were Psybeam and Psyshock, and the same against Coal, but you never used anything else. That led me to suspect you only taught Alakazam Psychic-type moves didn't you?"

"Yeah..." Blue admitted. "Yeah, I did... and so when you locked out Focus Blast, you left me completely defenseless. I still could've used Reflect but you were too close, and I was too focused on a quick finish so I didn't even think of it in time." He chuckled. "Blinding me _and_ Alakazam with Smokescreen, switching out your Charmeleon for a Mightyena, and then closing in for the kill; I'm not easily impressed but that was pretty sneaky of you."

Randy was actually snickering over where he was watching the battle. "Bastard after my own heart," he muttered.

"Though, I have to ask," Mark began. "You hesitated when you saw Coal; why?"

"What do you mean hesitated?" Blue asked.

"As soon as you saw Coal, I saw you freeze up for a few seconds; Alakazam looked a little worried too," Mark explained. "So what was up with that? You feeling alright."

Blue scowled deeply. "Mind your own damn business, pal!" He snapped. "I just remembered something when I saw your Charmeleon; you got lucky!" He reached for his next Poké Ball, brandishing it like a weapon and fixing Mark with a deep glare. "This battle isn't over yet; so I'm down two Pokémon, but I got four left, and they're ready to walk all over you!"

"We'll see about that," Mark retorted, with loud bark of confirmation from Fang.

With fire in their eyes and in their hearts, the two trainers stared each other down for a long drawn out moment, and in that moment, they knew, as did the spectating Randy, that the _real_ battle was about to begin...


	7. Chapter 6

Mark's battle with Blue had taken many twists and turns thus far. Blue had proven to be able to see through all of Mark's opening strategies at first, allowing him to decisively defeat not just one, but _both_ of Mark's most stalwart defenders, Tanker and Siren, by Pokémon whose attack types they were both specifically trained to be able to withstand. Mark had been forced to change up his tactics, going after Blue's mighty Alakazam with Coal for a distraction, and at the right moment, swapping him out for Fang to soundly defeat Alakazam.

Now the battle was getting into the next round; Blue was to choose his third Pokémon, with Mark anxiously awaiting to see what he would be facing next. Across the room from the Viridian Gym Leader, he stood with his Blaziken, Vitesse, both of them watching intensely, with Fang standing before them, teeth bared and growling with anticipation as he awaited his next opponent.

"Arcanine, you're up!" Blue called as he threw the Poké Ball in his hand to call forth his next choice.

From the ball emerged an Arcanine; a huge, quadrupedal canine Pokémon with a body of blazing red, covered with several black stripes, and a mane of beige fur around its head and down its front, running over its chest to between its front legs, with a matching tail growing from the hindquarters. This Pokémon was _big;_ easily twice as tall as Fang –even though he was quite large for a Mightyena he was still utterly dwarfed by this Arcanine.

Mark narrowed his eyes as he considered how to respond. _'Fang's strong, but he's way too slow to take on an Arcanine,'_ he thought. _'Without Tanker or Siren, the only way to win here is to match speed with speed.'_ "Fang, come back!" Mark called out.

Fang, who had been growling at Arcanine, let his mouth close as he heard Mark's command, and began to back away, promptly returning to Mark's side and standing on his left, looking up at his trainer expressionlessly.

"Good job, Fang," Mark complimented him for his battle against Alakazam, before he turned to Vitesse, who nodded back and stepped forward onto the battlefield, taking Fang's previous position and huffing with readiness as she faced the Arcanine.

"So it's Fire-type against Fire-type," Blue commented. "You know I don't think I've ever battled against a Blaziken before."

"Then you're in for a treat," Mark stated as he lifted up his left arm –the arm on which the bracelet that housed his keystone was worn.

Randy, still recording the entire battle on video, looked up in alarm as he saw Mark's keystone. "Oh, shit just got real," he said.

"What's that?" Blue asked, noticing the stone on Mark's wrist. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Hey... I've seen a stone like that before!" He exclaimed, and then noticed the mega stone housed in the harness Vitesse wore, shining from her right shoulder. "One like that too, but a different colour!"

Mark was about to touch his keystone when he heard Blue say those words, his fingers stopping in just a low hover over the stone. "You have?" Mark asked. "Where? These kinds of stones aren't found in Kanto."

Blue's eyes narrowed. "Well someone found one. And that is the one trainer who can beat me," he replied. "Red."

Mark's eyes shot wide open, as did Vitesse's. "Red?" Mark echoed, holding up his wrist to give Blue a better look. "You're sure of that; Red has a stone just like this?"

"Without a doubt," Blue replied. "I even saw its power once, when I last challenged him. He used it on his Charizard, and..." Blue grimaced. "The change it underwent; it was like another evolution."

"It basically is," Mark replied. "It's called 'Mega Evolution'; when used, a Pokémon ascends to its final form, reaching the very limits of its power. Unlike regular evolution, it doesn't last; overtime the Pokémon reverts back to its previous form."

"It's only temporary?" Blue asked.

Mark nodded to him. "Yes. There are only a few Pokémon known that can use this power, but those that can are often coveted by trainers," he explained. "I knew Charizard was one such Pokémon but I had no idea Red actually had a Mega Stone." He looked attentively at Blue. "What was Charizard like when it changed?"

Blue's gaze fell slightly, that question seeming to strike a nerve with him. His answer was slow, emphasizing their meaning with tone alone as he spoke. "Like I was staring at the very rage of Dragons themselves, given form," he replied. "Black as night, with eyes like a ruby, and breathing flames the colour of a blue sun."

"Blue fire?" Randy asked. "Holy crap... now I _want_ to see this thing!"

Mark narrowed his eyes after hearing Blue's explanation, picturing a black Charizard in his mind and feeling a chill creep up his back, as the image he conjured made him feel like he would be going up against a truly monstrous Pokémon when the time came for him to face Red. "And you battled this new form yourself?" Mark asked.

"I did," Blue replied. "It was possibly the strongest Pokémon I've ever seen in my life."

Mark nodded, and then looked at his keystone. "I've seen some amazing Pokémon take on enhanced forms of their own," he said. "And let me tell you, no matter how many times you see it, it always takes your breath away." He turned to look at Blue again. "But enough about that; we've still got a battle to finish. You've seen a Mega Charizard..." He tapped his keystone, which began to glow as he continued speaking. "Now you'll get to see a Mega _Blaziken_."

Mark had not used Vitesse's Mega Evolution in a long time, he realized; not since his battle with Randy nearly a year ago, when she had fought his Sceptile. Now she would finally be able to battle at her full power again. As the stone on Mark's wrist and Vitesse's shoulder shone brightly, a crystalline sphere formed around the Blaziken, engulfing her in its mass and shining brightly until it shattered, and unveiled her in her ascended form; red and black, with her crest having angled itself straight upward in a V-shape, and ribbons of fire trailing from her wrists, intensifying as she clenched her three-fingered hands into fists and threw them outward as she let out a shriek of power towards the ceiling.

Blue watched in stunned silence shared only by his Arcanine as Vitesse ascended to her Mega Evolution, watching as her form changed. Although it was nowhere near as drastic as the one he described for Red's Charizard, it was still quite the transformation, and he could just feel the power radiating from her. "Never thought I'd hear myself say that... but that is simply _amazing_."

"Alright, Blue," Mark called. "You ready to get back to our battle?"

Blue grinned widely, his brow furrowing; even he was starting to show some excitement for this battle, despite having initially being disinterested. But Mark was reminding him what it was like to have a challenging opponent, and now was starting to really enjoy the battle. "Okay then, but no matter how strong your Blaziken is, let's see how she matches up to my Arcanine's speed!" He chimed, with a bark of acknowledgement from Arcanine.

"We'll show you what speed _really_ means!" Mark declared, with Vitesse crowing in agreement.

"Arcanine, Extreme Speed!" Blue called.

Arcanine charged forward, his body a blur as he suddenly boosted forward as though propelled by a jet engine, rushing at Vitesse too quickly for her to get out of the way. She braced herself, taking the incoming super-speed tackle, sent skidding as Arcanine slammed into her but managing to keep her balance. In retaliation, she charged forward, swinging her leg at Arcanine with a mighty Blaze Kick, which he dodged, and struck back with Fire Fang. Vitesse jumped away from him before he could bite her, and then lunged back at him to land a punishing left hook across his face, which she followed up by ducking low and delivering a Low Sweep to his legs, knocking them out from under him.

He struck the ground on his side, and Vitesse backflipped away from him, staying away from the fight as Arcanine stood back up, his eyes fixing upon her with a fierce stare. "Take Down!" Blue called, sending Arcanine chasing after Vitesse again, but his sprint was slower this time, affected by the Low Sweep he had suffered before, slowing him down ever so slightly, but enough to make him slower than Viteese. She avoided his oncoming charge, and retaliated with Dual Chop as ordered by Mark, striking him once across the cheek, and when he retaliated by trying to Bite her, she jumped over him, arcing over his head and striking him with the second chop to his neck.

The strike sent Arcanine careening onto his side, battered by her onslaught; she was too fast, even for him –engaging Vitesse at close range was too difficult, for that was where she excelled. Noticing this, Blue tried a different strategy, ordering Arcanine to use a non-physical attack. "Dragon Pulse!"

Arcanine barked at Vitesse, and with that came a powerful blast of violet energy, catching her off guard and blasting her clear off of her talons, but she recovered quickly and somersaulted as she hit the ground, landing back on both feet again. "Bulk-Up!" Mark ordered, prompting Vitesse to channel her energy to strengthen her body, before the next order for a Blaze Kick came, and she was off again, faster this time –her Speed Boost ability was progressively making her even faster, and when Arcanine fired two more Dragon Pulses, she was able to avoid them, eventually closing the distance between them and delivering a powerful roundhouse kick straight to his cheek.

Finally when Arcanine fell, he stayed down, knocked clean out by the kick to his face and forcing Blue to begrudgedly recall him to his Poké Ball. But he didn't let up, immediately reaching for the next and tossing it forth. From the confines of the ball emerged a large humanoid Pokémon with an abnormal number of limbs, standing easily as tall as Vitesse but utterly dwarfing her in overall girth, sporting thick muscles along four long arms, and between its legs it had black markings resembling a pair of wrestling shorts along with a belt worn around its waist. Its legs were rather short for its size, but still densely packed with musculature. It had gray skin covering most of its body except for a tan area around its mouth, two red eyes, and ridges atop its head resembling a cornrow-style haircut.

"Machamp," Mark muttered softly. _'Although I'm pretty confident in Vitesse's close-range combat skill, going head-to-head with one of_ these _goliaths is a death sentence. We'll have to play it cool and focus on outmaneuvering it instead of overpowering.'_ As Vitesse returned to her position, Mark relayed this idea to her as discreetly as he could. "Don't try to square off with him; even Mega Evolved that Machamp is still going to be much stronger than you; use your speed and agility to wear him down and wait for my signal."

She nodded to Mark without argument, turning back to face Machamp as the battle resumed. Past the four-armed giant, Mark could see Blue at the other side of the arena, standing wide-legged and with his hands clenched into fists; Mark could just see the excitement on his face even from this distance. He was enjoying the battle as much as Mark was. Perhaps more as, by his own words, he hadn't had a challenging opponent for quite some time, and was eager to keep it going.

"Machamp, attack with Karate Chop!" Blue ordered his Pokémon.

Machamp growled in compliance and charged forward, running at a surprising speed for a Pokémon of its size and quickly closing the distance between himself and Vitesse, holding his hands up in knifehand fashion as he attacked, attacking Vitesse with his lower left arm. She banked out of the way, the next attack coming from Machamp's upper right arm, under which she ducked, and then sprang away, landing on her hands and flipping back onto her feet a safe distance away as Machamp pressed the attack.

"Keep up the pressure; Cross Chop!"

Machamp surged forth, attacking Vitesse with both of his lower hands at the same time. She had only just returned to her full height and couldn't get out of the way before they reached her, forcing her to put up her own arms in defense. The force of which Machamp struck her was bone-jarring, even as powerful as she was, but she stood her ground, the eyes of the two meeting as they fought to overpower one of another.

"Machamp, Submission!"

Hearing his trainer's command, Machamp grinned, and shifted his arms to seize Vitesse by her shoulders, yanking her off of her feet and swinging her around before grabbing her from behind with all four of his arms, holding her in a tight bearhug that nearly forced the air out of her lungs. With that, he jumped, high off of the gym floor, nearly reaching the ceiling in that one leap. With that, Machamp then threw his head back, adjusting their trajectory to drop head-first back towards the floor, falling into a spin-dive as they dropped.

 _'_ _If they slam dunk like that, it'll knock Vitesse out cold!'_ Mark thought hastily, trying to figure out what to do. There was no way she could pull herself out of Machamp's grasp with the few precious seconds she had before impact; her only way out was to somehow force Machamp to let go of her, and there was only one thing he could think of. "Flare Blitz!"

Hearing her trainer's command, Vitesse's body ignited, immolating herself and letting Machamp feel the sting of her flames, and then was blown clear away from her when the attack combusted, catching both of them in the blast and sending them flying away from each other. Vitesse flipped forward, managing to land on her feet while Machamp caught himself on his four hands, both managing to break their falls without suffering additional damage as a result..

"Pretty slick there," Blue complimented. "Using the blast from Flare Blitz to break Machamp's hold, but also pretty risky –I bet she felt that as much as Machamp did."

"It was all I could think of to break free," Mark admitted. "Sheer strength alone wouldn't have gotten her out of that one."

"No, probably not," returned Blue. "Let's get back to it, then! Machamp, Bulk-up!"

"Roost!"

Machamp's muscles bulged visibly as he followed his trainer's directive, making himself stronger and sturdier as he channeled his energy into his limbs. Vitesse adopted a calmer, more refined stance, using her energy to heal herself and undo the damage that had been done by using Flare Blitz; even if she hadn't attacked Machamp directly with it, the act of immolation and combustion had still taken its toll. Thanks to Roost though, it was quickly washed away, and she was ready to get back into the fight.

Machamp received an order from Blue to try Karate Chop again. "Bounce!" Mark ordered Vitesse, sending her into a mighty jump into the air as Machamp rushed at her, soaring high over his head.

"Got you now!" Blue chimed, before giving his next order. "Machamp, Smack Down!"

"Oh shit!" Mark cursed.

Machamp reached down, digging its hands into the soil before it pulled out a large stone, gripped between two of its hands, which it carried up with it as it sprang, launching itself after Vitesse and then hurling the stone at her. At first, it seemed to miss, until it dropped back down and struck her from above, sending her hurtling back towards the ground with the rock trailing behind her. Fighting through the pain, she tucked her arms against her chest and rolled, narrowly moving out of its way before both her and the rock reached the ground, but unlike before, she couldn't correct herself before hitting the ground, landing painfully against the sandy floor.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief when she stood up again, though; she still wasn't out of the fight. But now, he could sense that she was reaching her limit. _'If she hadn't healed herself before that attack, she'd be toast,'_ Mark thought. _'But one more hit like that and she'll be down for the count; got to finish this_ now _."_

"Machamp, Cross Chop!" Blue called, sending Machamp back into the battle again, aiming to finish off Vitesse now.

"Strafe!" Mark called. "Get away from him!"

Vitesse complied, dashing left and avoiding Machamp's attack; she was off so suddenly that she actually left an after-image of herself. Her speed had climbed to its peak, but she was still limping as she skidded to a stop. "Use Roost, then Bulk-Up!" Mark called, aiming to take advantage of the precious seconds she'd bought from her evade.

Channelling the energy through her body, she healed most of her bruises, and then her muscles swelled as she strengthened herself further. Now at the height of speed and power, Mark ordered her to close in on Machamp, who at Blue's command, thinking she was coming in for a direct attack, used Counter, but at the last second before reaching him, she sped off to the right, darting to his flank, and then lashing out with a roundhouse kick to his face.

"Low Sweep and Bounce!" Mark called hurriedly, coaching her onward as he saw the opportunity.

Machamp managed a clumsy hook punch just as Vitesse responded, grazing the top of her crests as she ducked down below, and then spun herself about with an outstretched leg, knocking Machamp off of his feet before she brought both of her talons under her again and jumped, launching herself into the air before Machamp had even hit the floor. Blue called out in warning to Machamp, who looked up in time to see the Blaziken dropping back towards him, but he could do nothing, not even put up his arms in time to stop her before she landed, both feet first, on his stomach, emptying his lungs of air and leaving him stunned and groaning in pain sprawled out on the floor. When he failed to get up, the outcome was decided.

"Machamp, return," Blue said, half-heartedly, as he recalled his Pokémon to its ball, letting out a sigh. "Starting to wonder if I'm a tad rusty," he stated. "You beat two of my Pokémon with just one and she still looks ready to brawl."

"I've fought with Vitesse in more battles than any of my other Pokémon, the closest second being Fang," Mark commented, looking at the Mightyena standing by his leg. "She's got a ton of experience, and knows how best to execute every attack I direct her way, while I know the right attack to use at the right time. Thanks to that –at the risk of sounding smug, we make a damn good team."

Blue actually flashed a genuine smile at that, shaking his head and chuckling. "You're so much like him, you know," he said.

"Like who?" Mark asked.

"Like Red," Blue explained. "He formed such a strong bond with his Charizard it was like they could read each other's thoughts; he used him in every battle, even at type disadvantages, and yet somehow they always pulled through together in the end. It didn't matter what challenge was thrown his way; Team Rocket, the Legendary Birds, battling for the Kanto Championship, he overcame them all, and completed the world's first regional PokéDex to boot."

Mark chuckled. "Well, _I've_ never done anything like that," he admitted. "I became the Hoenn Champion, but I've never battled a Legendary Pokémon, or defeated a big gang or completed a PokéDex. I'm just an ordinary trainer –a good one, maybe, but still just a trainer."

"Hey, Mark!" Randy called. "Don't go selling yourself short; come on! You're ruining my video!"

"Then pause the recording you ditz!" Mark called back.

"Nah, he's right," Blue chimed in, reaching along his belt to select his next Poké Ball. "Friendly banter's never been my thing, and I've still got two Pokémon left to your four so I've got to make up for some lost ground."

Mark grinned back at him. "Bring it on," he stated.

With that, Blue sent out his fifth Pokémon. Mark watched intensely as he saw the ball fly through the air, wondering what was coming out next. _'Will it be his Blastoise, or his Gyarados?'_ He thought. _'I'm ready for either one; Vitesse's beaten Water-types before, she can do it again, especially against slow ones like those.'_

Much to his dismay, however, the Pokémon that emerged from the ball was neither one of what he was expecting. With a shrill cry, a brightly coloured bird emerged from the Poké Ball, taking wing within the wide open expanses of the gym interior. The bird had light brown feathers with an even light undertone, almost cream-coloured, with a yellow and pink plume growing from the back of its head, and black eye sockets with matching eye colour, surveying the battlefield before fixing upon Vitesse.

 _'_ _Crap, a Pidgeot!'_ Mark cursed in his mind. ' _I didn't see anything about him having a Pidgeot!'_

"Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!" Blue called.

With a shrill cry, Pidgeot folded in its wings and plunged towards Vitesse, opening them again only when it was close to the ground before soaring at her. She narrowly managed to get out of the way, her own speed allowing her to evade even a high-speed attack, but Pidgeot ascended back into the air again before she could even turn around. Before Mark had time to come up with an idea, Blue called out his next attack.

"Now, Hurricane!"

Pidgeot wheeled about, facing Vitesse's direction before it reared back and opened its wings wide, beating them feverously to generate a powerful gust of wind. Vitesse put up her arms to cover her eyes from the blowing dust, the flames trailing from her wrists snuffed by the wind. She struggled to maintain her balance, but as the wind began to form a circle around her, she was quickly losing ground. Mark tried to call out to her, but the wind was so fierce, she couldn't hear him, and he could only watch helplessly as it began to swirl around her.

And then, she was yanked off of the floor, the spiralling windstorm carrying her up off the ground. She flailed in midair, trying to gain control, but there was nothing to grab onto or kick off of, and she was sent cartwheeling and tumbling through the air, finding it harder to breathe inside the vacuum of the hurricane. When Mark saw the flames of her wrists going out completely, he knew that there was nothing more she could do.

"Vitesse, come back!" He called, brandishing her Poké Ball and using the recall function to pull her out of the hurricane before more harm could be done, drawing her back into the safe confines of the ball and ending the round for her.

The hurricane subsided, and the dust finally settled. Pidgeot circled around through the gym interior before landing on the floor in front of Blue. "And the tides have turned," the gym leader stated.

Mark scoffed at himself, cursing under his breath. _'If only I'd known he had a Flying-type, I'd have saved Siren for taking on Pidgeot; I came here thinking he had a Gyarados.'_ He began to think again, trying to come up with a strategy to turn this back in his favour. _'Only other Pokémon I have that knows an Ice-type move is Fang, but Pidgeot's got the advantage in the air not to mention Hurricane's a Special Attack and Fang can't handle those; even getting hit once by it could knock him out. Palm Tree's too slow –besides the fact he's a Grass-type. I_ could _use Coal but Blue's not going to fall for that Smokescreen trick again.'_

Mark looked down at Fang. _'If I can at least get Pidgeot with Snarl and Torment, Coal_ might _have a chance... but will Fang be fast enough?'_

The Mightyena looked back up at his trainer, meeting his gaze before very suddenly barking at Mark, making him jump slightly. The look Fang was giving him showed he was willing to do whatever Mark had planned to win the battle, even if he couldn't be the one to take down Pidgeot himself. His determination filled Mark with pride; Fang had always been his most reliable partner next to Vitesse, always doing his best to come through for him, whatever it took...

Mark nodded to Fang. "Okay boy," he said, before pointing out to the battlefield. "Go!"

Fang charged out from the trainer's box, running to his spot on the field and growling in anticipation for the battle. Pidgeot flared out its wings and cried out in challenge to the Mightyena, and the battle was back on.

"Fang, Snarl!" Mark called.

Obeying Mark's command, Fang unleashed a feral-sounding Snarl attack at Pidgeot, the air seeming to shimmer in front of his muzzle as he did so. Pidgeot recoiled from the noise, but immediately took to the air following it; the attack had visibly shaken it but not stopped it, and at Blue's command, Pidgeot began to stir up another Hurricane.

"Shadow Ball!" Mark called.

Fang opened his maw wide, a dark purple sphere of energy forming quickly between his teeth, which he summarily spat at Pidgeot. Unfortunately, he missed, but it was enough to make Pidgeot bank to the side, cancelling the Hurricane attack and buying Mark another second. "Now, Torment!"

As before, when Fang had used the attack against Alazakam, his eyes glowed brightly, and he elicited a bloodcurdling howl as a pulse of dark energy erupted from him. Pidgeot became enshrouded in the same dark energy, clenching its eyes and shaking its head side-to-side, trying to shake off the effects.

"Shoot! Not again!" Blue cursed, until he remembered the first Hurricane attack had failed, and so ordered Pidgeot to use it again. This time, the attack went uninterrupted, assailing Fang with the gale force winds; he ducked down low, hugging the ground and trying to brace himself against it as sand and powerful winds assailed him, digging his nails into the dirt as an anchor.

Of course, the floor was sand, and it did not make a good anchor. Eventually Fang was pulled off of the ground, flailing instinctively and letting out a surprised yelp as he was pulled up and started to get thrown around by the storm. Realizing the worst had happened, Mark quickly used Fang's Poké Ball to recall him. Now he was down to only two Pokémon, the same as Blue.

 _'_ _Wasn't able to land a single attack on Pidgeot... but it can't use Hurricane for a little while_ ,' Mark thought as he reached for his next Poké Ball. _'So I better make this one count..._ '

"Coal! You're up!" Mark called, casting the ball forward and bringing out his Charmeleon once again, who growled with excitement as he materialized from the Poké Ball.

Blue's eyes narrowed. "The Charmeleon again," he said, and then, "You proved to be pretty tricky with him before; I won't fall for that again," he firmly stated.

"No tricks this time," Mark returned. "I'm taking a simple approach with this one." He looked up towards the skylight, and then called out, "Coal, use Sunny Day!"

Coal threw back his head and released a fierce growl towards the ceiling, and with his voice the sunlight outside seemed to intensify, becoming harsh and bright as it beamed into the building, bathing Coal in its light and somehow causing the flame on the end of his tail to intensify as well. He snorted a puff of smoke, and faced Pidgeot, ready for battle.

"Pidgeot, Quick Attack!" Blue ordered.

Pidgeot let out a shrill cry before taking flight again and launching itself at Coal like a missile, to which the Charmeleon dropped onto his belly, letting Pidgeot fly over him, before, at Mark's command, he swung around and fired a Flame Burst at Pidgeot. The fireball missed, but its aftermath did not; as the sphere collided with the wall near Pidgeot and exploded, it showered Pidgeot with dozens of embers, searing the backs of its wings and making it fly awkwardly, allowing Coal to launch another Flame Burst at it, this one scoring a direct hit, sending Pidgeot careening to the ground where it crashed into the sandy floor.

Pidgeot struggled to get up, beating the sand from its wings and shaking it from its eyes as it stood, but it was too slow; Coal closed in, running full-speed at Pidgeot, and just as it opened its eyes, the little Charmeleon landed a Headbutt right on Pidgeot's chest, knocking the wind of out of it and knocking it onto its back once again, where Coal stood triumphantly on top of the stunned Pidgoet.

Blue pulled out the Poké Ball for Pidgeot, recalling it. "Return," he said, half-heartedly, looking at the ball briefly before tucking it away on the back of his belt. "Well... this is quite a surprise," he said. "It's been a while since I met a trainer that was able to push me this far, bringing me down to just one Pokémon." At that, he produced the final Poké Ball on his belt, holding it in his hand as he continued speaking. "Far be it from me not to say you've impressed me. What did you say your name was?"  
"It's Mark," replied the Hoenn Trainer. "Mark Taylor, from Taylor Farms."

"A country guy, eh?" Blue asked. "You must've spent most of your life around Pokémon, I wager?"

Mark nodded. "I did," he replied. "Spent pretty much my whole life on that farm, helping raise the Pokémon that lived there. I actually didn't embark on my first journey until I was fourteen, when I decided it was time, then headed to Littleroot Town and received my Torchic from the Professor there. I was on my journey for about two years before I became the Hoenn Champion."

Blue nodded. "Your experience definitely shows," he stated. "So, ready to bring this battle to its conclusion?"

Mark smiled at him. "You bet," before looking at Coal, producing his Poké Ball and calling the Charmeleon back. Coal was reluctant at first, clearly wanting to keep battling, but he compliantly let the beam strike him, converting him into energy and drawing him back into the sphere, putting it away inside of his vest before pulling out the last one. The one he had been saving for this very moment...

"Alright fella," he said. "Let's do this." Pulling back his arm, he wound up for the throw, and at the same time as Blue, cast it forth. The two Poké Balls spun through the air, before popping open and releasing the Pokémon within.

Palm Tree emerged from his ball, landing on the floor an eliciting an excited hiss as he splayed out his palm leaf wings, flapping them a few times before staring ahead as his opponent emerged from their own ball and appeared on the field.

The Pokémon that appeared was, as Mark had expected, Blastoise. _'I was right this time,'_ he mused, looking back on how many times he'd been caught off guard in this battle. Blue had so far not done anything that he had expected, causing Mark's opening strategies to fail him, but now that Blue was down to his last Pokémon, he was ready to carry out the strategy he had been saving Palm Tree for from the start.

Blastoise was a huge, blue turtle, with a downward covering snout with a hardened lip –likely meant for biting, Its shell was brown, with a tan underbelly, and he stared at Palm Tree with two brown eyes. It stood easily six feet tall –much bigger than the average Blastoise, and jutting out from his back over his shoulders were two metallic cannons, coming out of openings in its shell. Its head had a flat top, with a cream colours lower jaw, and two extensions –almost like cat ears, growing from the sides of its head.

"That looks like a Grass-type," Blue commented. "So you've been saving that one all along for my Blastoise, huh?"

"I have," Mark replied. "I read up on you; your Blastoise is one Pokémon you always have, which means it's probably got the most experience out of all of them. The best way to take it down is with type advantage."

"It'll take much more than just _that_ to beat Blastoise!" Blue declared. "You think I didn't come prepared for Grass-types? Let me show you! Blastoise, Ice Beam!"

"Oh shi-!" Mark cursed, watching in terror as the Blastoise's cannon barrels lit up with ice blue light, taking aim at Palm Tree. "Palm, fly, hurry!"

His excited tone was a mistake; his sudden hollering only served to cause Palm Tree to panic, and his reaction time was too slow to get out of the way of the twin Ice beams. He flew up, only to be stricken in the underbelly by them, falling onto his back with a pained cry.

Being both Grass _and_ Flying-type, Ice-type attacks were the worst thing they could a Tropius could be subjected to. Were it not for Palm Tree's high defenses, that attack would have defeated him in that one hit, but he rolled over onto his front, and rose back to all four feet, hissing in pain.

"Palm... I'm sorry; I panicked," Mark said to the Tropius. "Are you okay?"

Palm Tree looked back at Mark, and nodded his narrow head to him. Mark nodded back, and they both looked forward as Blastoise was ready to continue.

"Taking a direct hit like that; that's one tough Pokémon you got there," Blue commented. "Blastoise, Ice Beam again!"

"Fly," Mark said, calmer this time, and Palm Tree responded promptly, taking wing and avoiding the second Ice Beam from Blastoise.

The turtle didn't give up yet, though, bringing around its cannons and firing again, but the Tropius banked away just in time; now that he was in the air, he was at his maximum mobility, but Blastoise was most mobile in the water, and they weren't fighting in water. If Palm Tree could stay out of the aim of his cannons, he could win!

Palm Tree circled around Blastoise, with the turtle tenaciously shooting one Ice Beam after another at him, but failing to land a direct hit on his target. Finally, Palm Tree was behind him, and had his opening. "Leaf Tornado!"

Palm Tree angled himself towards Blastoise and began to spin in midair, performing an aileron roll and flinging leaves from his body, creating a twister around him that became filled with leaves, sending them swirling towards the Blastoise. The turtle turned round just in time for the attack to hit him directly, assailing him with the storm of leaves. The Blastoise growled, aiming with its cannons and firing, but he missed again –this time, no fault of his own but rather because the gust accompanying the leaves was causing his eyes to tear up and blurred his vision.

"Nice work, Palm!" Mark called. "Now, Synthesis while you have a chance!"

Palm Tree pulled up, angling towards the skylight and flying directly into the sunlight beaming through, still intensified by Coal's earlier use of Sunny Day, filling him with energy. Synthesis grew more powerful in direct sunlight, and, the stronger the light the more powerful the healing factor. Palm Tree's wings lit with a bright golden glow as he absorbed the nourishing rays of the sun, healing his earlier injuries almost bringing him back to the peak of health.

Blastoise blinked the tears from his eyes, clearing his vision, and eventually located Palm Tree. "Blastoise, you have to finish this now!" Blue called. "Ice Beam, one more time!"

Blastoise took aim with its cannons, but the light didn't shine from them this time. The turtle looked at its cannons in shock, shared by Blue as it dawned on him; Blastoise had run out of power for the Ice Beam. "Crap!" He cursed.

"Leaf Tornado again!" Mark called

Palm Tree repeated his earlier attack, once more sending the cyclone of leaves at Blastoise, but this time Blue was ready for it. "Rapid Spin!" He called.

Blastoise jumped in a circle, quickly withdrawing into his shell and going into a spin as the leaves bombarded his shell, glancing off and dealing minimal damage to the turtle, who then spun off to the side to get out of the trajectory of the Leaf Tornado, emerging from his shell and extending his cannons once more. At Blue's order, he fired a Hydro Pump, striking Palm Tree directly with two powerful streams of water.

The attack stumbled the Tropius; it didn't do as much damage as it would have if he were another type, but the sheer concussive force of the water streams was still enough to knock him out of the air, knocking him back to the ground once more. He hit the sandy floor with a crash, but he defiantly rolled onto his belly and stood back up, turning to face Blastoise, still in the sunlight beaming in from above.

"Now Palm Tree, Solarbeam!" Mark called. "Finish this!"

Palm Tree reared back his head, once more splaying out his wings to catch as much sunlight as possible, drawing in all of the energy he'd need. Mark saw Palm Tree's body reacting to his Solar Powered ability, with hot spots appearing on his wings and patches of red, like sunburns, appearing on his skin. The side-effect of Solar Power caused Palm Tree's body to suffer harm when he drew energy from the sun, but the power it gave him increased his strength drastically.

The Miracle Seed he wore around his neck began to glow as well, reacting to the use of a Grass-type attack and filling him with even more power. Golden light gathered in his mouth, forcing his jaws apart as the Solaream began to form, charging up faster than normal thanks to the sunlight.

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" Blue called. "Give it all you got!"

Angling its cannons towards Palm Tree, Blastoise fired two powerful streams from his cannons, sending them straight at Palm Tree. At the same time, Palm Tree fired his Solarbeam, unleashing the destructive ray of sunlight turned deadly energy weapon. The two attacks collided in midair, but the contest was short; with Palm Tree's enhanced power and the natural advantage of Grass against Water-types, the Solarbeam won out in the end.

Blastoise took the attack directly, and was blown backward, falling onto his shell and skidding along the floor until he was sent sliding head-first into the wall. Blue was forced to cover his face from the cloud of dust stirred up by the skid and the collision with the wall, calling out to his Pokémon.

But when the dust settled, Blastoise was down for the count. He lay there, motionlessly, on the back of his shell, knocked unconscious by his collision with the wall, and thus bringing about the end of the battle...

"I don't believe it..." Blue whispered.

"YES!" Mark bellowed suddenly, throwing up his arms and cheering triumphantly. Without another thought, he ran out onto the field towards his Pokémon. Palm Tree turned to face him, hissing joyously as Mark threw himself at his Pokémon, swinging around his neck as he hugged the Tropius tightly in his glee. "You did it boy! You rock!"

Palm Tree hissed again, stretching out his wings proudly and holding his head high, but then winced, and Mark suddenly found himself holding up a large amount of weight as Palm Tree's left right leg suddenly gave out from under him. Mark reacted quickly, bringing his arms around Palm Tree's chest and grunting as he struggled to support the leaf-covered sauropod, easing him down onto his belly. Of course Mark couldn't actually lift the Tropius; he simply added his strength to his Pokémon's as he let him lay down, and then turned his attention to his leg, noticing a dark spot on the inside of the leg. Not dark like a bruise, though; blacker, like dead flesh.

"So that's where the Ice Beam hit you," he said, looking closely at the patch of frostbite on Palm Tree's leg, not touching it as he had little doubt it was very painful. "Let me help you with that." He shrugged off his knapsack, bringing it around in front of him and went immediately for the medicine pocket on the lower half, unzipping it and sticking his arm inside, rummaging around for an Ice Heal and a Super Potion. "Sorry, boy; you might've been able to dodge that if I hadn't been so startled; I didn't even think his Blastoise knew Ice Beam."

He chuckled as he felt Palm Tree bump him with his crown, as if to scold Mark for damning himself in such a way. And then, Mark felt a touch on his shoulder, but it wasn't from Palm Tree; he looked behind him, and found Blue standing there, holding something out to him; a box-like bottle with a green colour.

"Use this on him," he said. "It's a Full Restore; it'll treat the injury way better than a Potion."

Mark looked up at Blue as he gingerly accepted the item from him. "Thank you," he bade the gym leader, and then turned his attention back to Palm Tree, finding the nozzle on the little green bottle and squeezing the sides to spray the contents over the frost bitten area.

"I have to admit, this Pokémon of yours was pretty tough; what kind is this anyway?"

"He's a Tropius," Mark replied.

"I'm guessing he's a Grass/Flying-type, right? Kind of obvious by how he was flying around."

Mark nodded. "You got it," he replied. "I've trained Palm Tree here to be a flying tank; I knew he'd be the perfect Pokémon to take on your Blastoise."

"I was surprised by how powerful and sturdy he was," Blue admitted, and then looked closely at the Miracle Seed on the Tropius' neck. "Aha, so that's how your Solarbeam was so powerful; you gave him a Miracle Seed. Pretty clever."

"Actually there was more to it than that," Mark began as he finished applying the medicine to the frost bitten area, before going on to get to the burns left on Palm Tree's body as well. "I assume you saw how strong his attacks became while he was in the direct sunlight coming through the roof?"

"I did; why?" Blue asked

Mark looked past Blue before answering, noticing Randy was coming over to join them, joining in on the conversation as Mark continued explaining to Blue his meaning. "In the PokéDex, Tropius are described as becoming stronger in direct sunlight; their leaf-wings absorb the sun's rays like a rechargeable battery absorbs electricity, but at a much faster rate." Finally finished with the medicine, he passed it back to Blue as he carried on. "Each one has a different ability but they all prosper in sunlight. Palm Tree here in particular has an ability called 'Solar Power'; in strong sunlight, his special attack power increases."

Blue perked up at that, suddenly realizing what Mark meant. "Your Charmeleon, when it used Sunny Day," he said. "That wasn't just to power up himself; you meant to use it to power up your next Pokémon too. And since Solarbeam can be fired instantly while the sun is bright, you also eliminated the need for time to charge up."

Mark nodded. "Correct."

"Their abilities vary; some Tropius have the Chlorophyll ability," Randy added to the explanation, "while others, though much rarer, have the Harvest ability, and all three abilities benefit from sunlight."

"So in any form, the sun is the best friend of a Tropius," Blue commented before looked over his shoulder at the skylight, noticing that the sun was beginning to return to its normal brightness. "But what would you have done if your Charmeleon hadn't been able to use it, or it expired before you could unleash Solarbeam?"

"In the event of that, Palm Tree _also_ knows Sunny Day," Mark replied. "If given the opportunity, he'd have used it to gain his power back. There's just one unfortunate side effect to Solar Power."

"What's that?"

"The way that his absorbs and converts the sunlight into power causes him physical harm," Mark returned, pointing out one of the hot spots left in Palm Tree's leaf wings, where it had browned and crinkled as though it was wilting. "It heals eventually, but this makes it risky for him in battle; the more power he draws in the more harm it can cause him."

"In just that one attack, you've got so much happening at once," Blue commented. "Solar Powered, that Miracle Seed, plus the natural boost to Grass-type moves he'd already give, you essentially double the output of his attack. Throw in the natural weakness of a Water-type like my Blastoise, and you can almost knock him down in a single hit, even with his defenses."

"That's pretty much the idea," Mark replied. "To keep the battle as short as possible." He passed the bottle of Full Restore back to Blue; he'd emptied almost half of it treating his Tropius' burns and frostbitten leg.

But Blue waved his hand dismissively. "Keep it; I got more," he replied. "Owning a Gym has certain perks, like a store discount at Poké Mart."

"...Wait, you get a discount?" Randy asked.

Blue, rather than answer Randy, turned his attention back to Mark, his brow furrowing and giving away that he was about to speak of something very serious. "Since you won, Mark, let me give you a piece of advice," he began. "Although you've shown you're a pretty tough trainer, if you plan to battle Red, don't. At least not yet."

"Why not?" Mark asked.

"Because there is no way you'd be able to beat him," Blue returned, plainly.

"He beat _you_ didn't he?" Randy asked.

Blue shot him a dirty look once more. "That doesn't mean anything," he stated. "I'm a great trainer, yes; from the day I started I was always a great trainer –never lost a single battle from Pallet Town all the way to the Pokémon League. When Red began, he was clumsy and made a lot of mistakes, but overtime he rose to a level beyond what I could ever have imagined a dimwit like him could ever have achieved. He was the first trainer to ever beat me," he looked at Mark. "And you're the fourth, now."

Mark tilted his head curiously. "Who was the second?" He asked.

"The current Johto Champion, Ethan," Blue replied. "He's also the only trainer I know of to have ever beaten Red since he left the league."

"Ethan has fought Red?" Mark asked. "And he even beat you as well?"

"Wait, left the league?" Randy intervened. "You mean he simply walked away from his Champion title; no one took it from him?"

"No," Blue replied. "He simply left; just gave it up."

"It's true," Mark added, looking at Randy. "My bingo book says the same thing; Red was never defeated at the league. He simply abdicated from it, and so the next one made Champion was the leader of the Elite Four which, at the time, was Lance the Dragon Master."

Randy looked at Blue. "So why didn't you go back? If Red gave up the Champion title, why didn't you go win it from Lance again? You've beaten him before, right?"

Blue looked away, scowling deeply as his gaze lowered to the floor. "I couldn't," he replied.

"Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't have felt like a win!" Blue snapped at him, making Randy jump back slightly. "I couldn't become the Champion again knowing that there was just one trainer out there who could always just come and take it from me! Especially not when it was someone who I swore I'd never lose to!"

Noticing the looks both Mark and Randy were giving him, Blue quickly calmed down, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly to calm himself. "Sorry," he returned. "But it just wouldn't have felt right... You see, ever since Red and I were kids, we were always rivals. I was always the better of us, though; he always fought to surpass me, but never could because, back then, he was an idiot. All throughout the journey through Kanto, I was always two steps ahead of him. I thought he'd never catch up to me, especially not when I became the Champion.

"But then, sure enough, he walks into the Pokémon League, beats the Elite Four as I did, and moves on to challenge me as well. It was a hard-fought battle, all the way; eventually it came down to Blastoise and Charizard –I had every advantage. I was more skilled, and I had the type advantage. And yet, that didn't matter; Charizard still won. He was so driven, and Red was so determined, that despite all of my skill and all of Blastoise's strength, Red beat us, and in less than a day after becoming Champion, I was back to being just another trainer."

He elevated his gaze again, looking at Mark and Randy intensely. "Then he went and just gave it up... he walked away from the Champion title like it meant nothing. You can't _begin_ to imagine how much that infuriated me; it felt like an insult. After that, I went to battle him again, and he was even stronger than ever –I didn't even beat half of his Pokémon, especially not when he brought out Charizard and underwent that super evolution..."

"Mega," Randy corrected.

"Whatever," Blue replied. "But I didn't go back to being Champion because I knew I wasn't the greatest trainer in Kanto, and to me only the best should have a title. So, I never went back; I took over this gym after its last owner, Giovanni, disappeared, and here I've stayed ever since. Until I can beat Red, and probably Ethan as well, I won't return to the League. That may seem stupid to you, but it's what I've decided. I don't expect you to understand."

"I do, actually," Mark said suddenly. "I've been down that road before. Hell, I'm on it now."

Blue looked at him with some surprise. "You... are?"

Mark nodded back to him, and said, "when I became the Champion of Hoenn, I felt like I was on top of the world too –like I had become one of the greatest trainers of the generation. For a year I clung to that title, and beat every challenger, but then I found out the hard way that I _wasn't_ as great a trainer as someone else." He gestured to Randy. "And that someone happens to be right here."

Blue turned his head sharply, looking at Randy with mild shock. "You mean... this guy is the one who beat you and took your Champion title?" He asked. "But then does that mean _you_ are the current Champion?"

"Unfortunately, no," Randy replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I lost too, just over a week ago; a trainer showed up with a Legendary Pokémon and crushed me. So, just like Mark, I'm an Ex-Champion as well."

"It tore me apart when I found out Randy lost," Mark continued. "So soon after beating me, too; it made me feel like somehow I had only become the Champion as a fluke. I began to doubt if I had ever truly deserved to have the title, and soon I decided that there was only one way to know for sure; one sure fire way to know if I really _am_ one of the best trainers in the world. So I set out on this new journey, to battle the greatest of all the regions. That journey brought me here to Kanto, and will take me across the world, until I find the answer. Then, and only then, will I know where I stand."

Blue met Mark's gaze for what seemed like a long, drawn-out moment, taking in all of the information he had received and seemingly gauging Mark's truthfulness –or at least that is what he guessed Blue was doing. He had become oddly quiet, and it started to make Mark shift uncomfortably, until finally he spoke again.

"Alright," Blue began. "Here's a tip, then. When Red's Charizard Su-... _Mega_ Evolves, its sub-type becomes Dragon. If you want to win against him you have to be ready to face that."

"I've beaten Dragon-type Pokémon several times before," Mark commented.

" _Not_ one like this, I guarantee it," Blue returned, shaking his head at Mark. "Charizard has power like you wouldn't believe, like the rage of a whole flock of dragons all in one body. But it's not just that you have to worry about; there's also Red's other Pokémon. He changes them up often; it's impossible to know what he's bringing ahead of time. Remember, he was the first trainer to complete a Regional PokéDex, and to do that it means he had to capture one of _every_ Pokémon in Kanto."

Mark opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out, his teeth clicking back together as he realized the gravity of what Blue was saying. "So the only one I can truly prepare for _is_ Charizard, but that's going to be the toughest one no matter what I face; is that what you're telling me?"

"Yes," Blue replied. "Red has spent years training all of his Pokémon while travelling around –every single one of them is strong enough that Gym Leaders would love to have them. Your Pokémon are strong, but you need to make sure every one of them is ready for what you'd face. Tell me, what other Pokémon do you have?"

"Uh," Mark began, not sure how to answer without sounding like a complete imbecile to the Gym Leader. Mark's approach to Pokémon Training was not like most trainers –some were out to catch as many as possible just to boast about how many they have, others to build perfect teams. Mark liked to think his team was balanced, with defenders, attackers and speedsters able to tackle any situation.

Eventually, he had no choice but to come out and say it. "I... don't."

"You don't what?"

"I don't have any other Pokémon," Mark replied. "What you saw today is all I have."

Blue's expression went completely flat, staring at Mark with a blank face and completely unmoving except for the occasional twitch of his eye or the need to blink. His expression soured, and he waved his arms frantically before he shouted. _"Are you kidding me?!_ You're an ex-Champion and you only have _six_ Pokémon?! How... how did you ever make it to the title with only _six_?"

Mark could only shrug, not sure how to answer that question, and Blue started to pace, going into a rant. "So if those are your only six, you don't have an Electric-type, you don't have an Ice-type, you don't have a Rock, Poison, Dragon or even a freaking Bug-type! What is _wrong_ with you?!"

"They've seen me through every single Gym in Hoenn; I won all of them with just these six," Mark returned. "Never switched them out for anything."

"Then the Gym Leaders in Hoenn either _suck_ or you're just that good," Blue returned.

"Hey, come on; it wasn't like that," Mark went on. "I taught my Pokémon moves they could use to take on other types as well, like your Blastoise knowing Ice Beam or Alakazam knowing Focus Blast. It never led me astray."

"How did you deal with Dragon-types, then? I assume at least one Gym or one of the Elite Four contained a Dragon-type trainer." Blue asked.

"Drake did, yes. And to answer how I dealt with them, Vitesse knows Dual Chop, Fang and Siren both know Ice-type moves, and Siren also knows Disarming Voice," Mark explained. "And as of recently, I have my Charmeleon who knows Dragon Pulse, plus there's Tanker who's resistant to Dragon-type attacks. Besides that, there's usually a sub-type I'm able to exploit. When it comes to Dragon-types I can honestly say I have _nothing_ to be afraid of."

"I see," Blue returned, rubbing his chin. "Still, six Pokémon isn't going to be enough. They may have taken you all the way to the Championship but eventually you're going to meet a trainer who is the perfect counter to every trick you have with just those six –it may not happen today or tomorrow, but I speak from experience when I say, sooner or later, you'll find yourself completely backed into a corner."

"But I've always been able to beat every Pokémon I've ever fought," Mark returned. "I've never needed any others but the ones I have."

"You just admitted you lost to this guy right here," Blue reminded, pointing at Randy. "You don't think that's a sign you need to change up your roster a bit, particularly if you ever battle him again?"

"I..." Mark paused, turning his gaze over to Randy, who stared back as well, their eyes meeting for a short moment until Mark finished his sentence, forgetting what he was originally going to say. "I never thought of it that way."

Blue let out a sigh. "Look, I'm not good at this kind of thing, but let me give you some advice. If you really want to make the most out of being a Pokémon Trainer, there are several things you have to remember. Firstly, keep training, even if you're not on a journey; Pokémon get out of shape even faster than humans do but they can bounce back just as quickly too. Secondly, catch more Pokémon –even if it's only one of every type –you've shown me you're a strategist, and I guarantee you, the more you have, the better your strategies will be in the long run. You're off to challenge the best trainers in the world; you can't go about that as a one-trick Ponyta, or you'll only end up getting schooled –especially by Red."

Having been a Champion once, Mark felt a bit of a sting to his pride, knowing he was being lectured in such a way. Fortunately, he was not as hot-blooded or arrogant as other boys of his age –even though he and Blue were the same age, he knew Blue had begun his Pokémon journey years before Mark had and was more experienced. Furthermore, he thought back to the lesson he had learned after battling Randy; that if he wanted to remain competitive in an ever-changing world of Pokémon and Trainers, then he needed to be able to change with it.

Maybe Blue's advice was one of the first steps to doing just that, he wondered. Maybe his small team approach just wasn't enough anymore –especially not for what he was setting out to do. Blue was right; sooner or later, he would find an opponent that the six Pokémon he had with him would not be able to defeat.

Mark turned to Blue and nodded. "For someone who claims he's not good at giving advice, that's some pretty sound advice you gave me," he remarked.

Blue averted his gaze, looking a bit embarrassed. "Don't mention it," he said. "No really, don't."

"One last question," Mark began. "Can you give us any tips on where to find Red? We know he lives in Pewter City but we don't know his exact address. Your grandfather also told us he's not always there so who would we talk to?"

Blue brought his gaze back to Mark, considering the question only briefly before he answered. "You'll want to talk to Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader," Blue replied. "I don't know Red's exact address in Pewter, but I've heard he visits Brock whenever he comes back to town."

"Are they friends?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, apparently when Red and I were rookies, Brock was watching us when we had our first battle against each other," Blue explained. "He gave Red some sound advice, and since then I guess they became buddies or something."

Mark nodded. "Thanks Blue," he said. "And for what it's worth, regarding our battle, it was a damn good one. Thanks for accepting my challenge."

Once more Blue averted his gaze, but could not hold back his smile at the compliment. "Yeah... it was a good battle, I'll admit." He then looked back at Mark, giving him a two-fingered salute. "Seeya on the flip side, then; if you find yourself in Viridian again sometime, let's have a rematch."

Mark smiled back, nodding to Blue. "I look forward to it," he said.

* * *

Outside, Mark and Randy left the Viridian Gym behind, making their way towards the Pokémon center. As they walked, Randy was reviewing the footage from the battle he had captured on his camcorder, particularly of the final clash between Palm Tree and Blastoise, when the latter took the powered-up Solarbeam directly and was sent flying. He whooped as he saw the turtle Pokémon knocked down, and looked at Mark.

"Anyone who ever said Tropius' are weak _clearly_ ever saw yours in action!" He exclaimed. "That was freakin' awesome, right?"

"Totally," Mark returned, although it was in a half-hearted manner, which did not go unnoticed by Randy.

"Oye; what's up with you? You just won the first match of your new journey; I'd think you would be more excited."

"Oh I'm happy, no worries there," Mark stated. "But... I don't know; I've got this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I'm missing something."

"Like what?"

Mark shrugged. "I wish I knew," he replied. "Over the course of that battle I also feel like I could've done better. Do you think Blue's right; that I need more Pokémon if I want this journey of mine to succeed?"

"Yes," Randy returned.

Mark arched an eyebrow at him. "You didn't even hesitate."

"There hasn't been a Pokémon master out there who didn't have lots of Pokémon to choose from," Randy returned. "You're actually the first Champion I ever heard of whom stuck to just six Pokémon for use at all times. Even then, when I first met you, you only had five."

"I figured that keeping a small team would ensure that all the Pokémon I had would have the experience necessary for me to win the Championship," Mark returned.

"Which kind of worked, yes, but you're going a much bigger step than that now," Randy went on. "The six Pokémon you have are strong, yeah, but think about who you're up against. You battled Blue almost to a stalemate, and that guy was only Champion for one _day_."

"Yes," Mark agreed, nodding his head. "He was just my first opponent, yet I think Blue could have given Steven a run for his money."

"Steven Stone, the last Champ before you?" Randy asked.

"Yeah," Mark replied. "Ironically, Steven lost his Champion title years back, to the very same trainer who beat you –Brendan. But at some point apparently Steven won it back, and then I won it from him, then you won it from me, and then Brendan took it again."

"Where'd you find out about all this?" Randy asked.

"Professor Birch," replied Mark. "He knows Brendan really well, through his dad, who is actually the Petalburg Gym Leader."

Randy gawked. "You mean I got curb-stomped by Norman's _kid_?" He asked.

"Yep," Mark returned, but once more eyed Randy oddly. "Why do you seem so surprised?"

"Dude, Norman was the second Gym Leader I beat," Randy replied. "Cairo was still only a Riolu at the time but completely crushed his Slakoth _and_ Vigoroth. Slaking took a while but the thing spent so much time sleeping, Cairo barely even needed to dodge, and even when he did, the big ape was just _way_ too slow to catch him."

Mark grimaced. "Wish I could say the same. Among the Gym Leaders, Norman was actually one of the ones I had trouble with. I'd have to say Tanker is the one that gave me the edge."

Randy shrugged, and continued. "Going back a bit; what was Steven like? I never got to battle him; I heard he was good."

"He was," Mark replied, nodding. "Up until I battled you he was the strongest trainer I had ever faced in my life. He specialized in Steel-types, and his fighting style was both tactical and patient. None of his Pokémon were particularly fast except for his Skarmory, who he always used first to cover the battlefield in Spikes. The rest, though, he'd utilize their defense to endure hits from his opponent, and during that time, he'd be so closely, and the instant he spotted an opening, he'd strike, _hard_ , and take you down."

"Whoa. Now I wish I _had_ battled him," Randy commented, rolling his eyes slightly, before looking at Mark again. "So where are we going next?"

"You said the Indigo Plateau's a little closer than Pewter, right?" Mark asked. "I suppose we should head there, next. Lance uses Dragon-types and as I told Blue I can handle those, so I might as well get that one done first and then try to find Red."

Randy nodded. "Sounds good," he said, and then hummed in thought. "'Mark Taylor vs. Dragon Master Lance'; sounds like the title of an action movie."

Mark let out an amused laugh. "If I were actually some kind of action star," he returned.

"With those karate moves of yours, you probably could be. Hell, you and Vitesse should go into business!" Randy chimed on.

"I may come across as a confident, calculative trainer, but if you can believe it I always got stage fright during school plays," Mark returned, still chuckling as he and Randy followed the street towards the western road heading out of Viridian City.

"Wha-seriously?"

"Yep."

"Never pegged you for being the shy type."

"Only when I'm in front of an audience."


	8. Chapter 7

"Ah! Slow down a sec, Mark; I got a rock in my shoe," Randy notified his travel companion as they carried on through Victory Road.

Mark paused mid-step, stopping to let Randy solve his wardrobe malfunction. "I usually wear shoes that're snug around the ankle just for that reason," he pointed out. "Might want to try it."

"Why the heck does 'Victory Road' have to be in a cave anyway?" Randy asked as he pulled off his shoe, shaking it until the pebble that had been poking him fell out.

"Call it a final trial for trainers looking to challenge the Pokémon League," Mark returned. "Besides, it's not like the one in Hoenn doesn't go through a cave system too."

"Yeah, I suppose," Randy replied.

Mere hours after leaving Viridian City, the two companions, along with their Pokémon, were on their way up to the Indigo Plateau, accessible only through Kanto's own Victory Road or by air. They could have flown up to the plateau, of course, but there had been a rather ominous-looking storm blowing in from the west around Mt. Silver. In order to stay in cover and not lose any progress. Mark suggested they take the long way under the mountain and work their way up to the plateau where they wouldn't get caught in the storm.

So far, their progress had been good, aside from having to clear a few cave-ins here or there. Thankfully, Tanker was in the lead doing just that, pushing rocks aside to clear a path for them while avoiding causing anymore himself. The others stayed a fair distance back to avoid getting in his way, but often had to cover their ears against the sound of the Steelix's metal body grinding against the stones. It got so bad in fact, Cairo wouldn't even come out of his ball to walk with Randy as he usually did, as it was especially hard on his sensitive ears.

"You know, I heard it was in one of the side caves of this place where Red actually caught the Legendary Fire Pokémon, Moltress," Randy commented.

"Really? In here?" Mark asked, looking around the cave, taking in the bland, gloomy surroundings. "I would've thought something like Moltress would've been hiding on Cinnabar Island in the volcano or somewhere else hot."

"Maybe it knew the volcano going to erupt in later years?" Randy suggested.

"Why would an eruption be of concern to a Pokémon that's practically _living_ fire?" Mark asked.

"Good point."

After a little longer into their walk, Randy spoke up again. "So, what's your plan for taking on Lance? I assume you have another opening strategy for him."

"I'm still working on it," Mark replied. "We know Lance is fixated on Dragon-type Pokémon and uses nothing else –except for Pokémon that resemble dragons like Gyarados and Charizard, as I've read." At that, he shrugged off his backpack, bringing it around and fishing out his bingo book before slinging the pack over his shoulders again, opening the book to the page about Lance. "According to this, as more Dragon-types were discovered, Lance was eager to be the first trainer to take all of them. And, he succeeded; he's been to every region, captured and tamed each Dragon-type from all of them, and raised them for battle."

"That's a _lot_ of dragons," Randy commented. "He didn't capture any of the Legendary Deity Pokémon from Unova or Sinnoh, did he?"

"If he did, he hasn't used them in battle, according to this," Mark replied as he read along. "But that could still mean some Pseudo-Legendaries and other very powerful Pokémon could be in there too. Dragons are not easy opponents; especially not in the hands of someone who can control them as well as he can."

"Does that book say which ones he favours?"

"Only mentions that he always has a Dragonite," Mark replied. "I can expect at least one of those, but his other Pokémon may vary; the only consistency is that they will _always_ be Dragons." He closed the book tucking it under his arm before crossing both arms over his chest, one with a hand to his chin. "If he's been all around the world looking for Dragon-types, how many are there he could have and what types will they be?"

"When in doubt," Randy began, fishing in his pocket for something before he lifted out a small, card-shaped device, red around the edges with a holographic center emitting a blue glow. "Consult the encyclopedia."

Mark looked back over his shoulder, spotting the device and widening his eyes in mild intrigue. "A PokéDex? I didn't know you had that."

"Not just any either," Randy returned. "It's a complete international PokéDex imported from the Kalos Region, loaded with Pokémon from all of the regions." He held up the device, tapping the holographic center and causing the two edges to part as it lit up. "With it, we can look up info on every Dragon-type that has been discovered."

Mark smiled broadly at that. "Great idea!" He exclaimed, before looking ahead towards his Steelix, cupping both hands around his mouth to amplify his voice as he called out. "Hey Tanker!"

At his call, the Steelix stopped, turning his head around at the call of his name and looking back in Mark's direction. "We're going to stop for a moment; take a break for now, okay?"

Tanker rumbled in reply before complying, lowering himself down to lay flat on the ground and shutting his eyes to rest a moment while he waited for his trainer to let him know he was ready to move again. In the meantime, they found somewhere to sit down, on some flattened rocks near a little pool in the cave. Having an idea, Mark reached into his vest, one-by-one picking the Poké Balls containing his Pokémon from the holster inside. Randy saw him reaching in, noticing what was in his hand. "What'cha doin'?"

"Giving the others a chance to stretch their legs," he replied, before chuckling. "Well... for the ones among them that _have_ legs."

"Oh, good idea!" Randy agreed.

He joined in as Mark began releasing his Pokémon from the confines of their balls, letting them out into the cave two at a time. Soon all of the Pokémon materialized, eliciting pleased cries at the chance to breath some fresh air and stretch their limbs. Of Randy's six Pokémon, Mark saw five he had already seen before and one he hadn't; Randy's sixth Pokémon was a Starmie, a purple star-shaped entity with a gem-encrusted core, along with what appeared to be a second star-shape attached to its back. Its body was purple, with gold around the ruby core, and as with Siren, it made a beeline straight for the pool as soon as it emerged, hopping up and spinning through the air until it landed in the water, followed shortly by the Milotic.

"I think that's the first time I've seen a Starmie," Mark commented. "Where'd you catch it?"

"Well this isn't my first trip to Kanto," Randy replied. "I caught it outside Vermillion City, on the beach. It was still a Staryu at the time, but I've since evolved it, as you can see."

Mark nodded, satisfied with the answer as he pulled his knapsack off of his back and opened the largest pocket, producing bags of food from inside, each one labelled with the name of one of his Pokémon showing who they were intended for. There wasn't one for Tanker, but that was okay; Steelix fed on stone and minerals as opposed to ordinary food, so there was an entire buffet for the Steelix all around them.

Randy, having the same idea as Mark, picked out some plastic containers from his backpack, each one filled with food for his Pokémon. One by one he passed them around, and each of them were able to open it themselves except for Skyclaw, who had to wait as Randy opened hers for her and placed it in front of her before she began to munch on the contents. As with Tanker, he didn't have food for Gemstar; Mark asked him why, and Randy simply replied that Starmie didn't actually eat –they had no mouths or other means of ingestion to speak of.

That wasn't so odd; there were lots of Pokémon in the world that lived by other means. Passing around the food to each of his team, they dug in to their meals happily. Siren emerged from the pool to accept the food offered to her, squealing happily as she fed. With everyone filling their bellies, Mark decided it was time for him to have something to eat as well, and picked out a can of corn and a protein bar from his travel supplies, using a can opener on his keychain to open the former and digging into it with a plastic spoon.

As all of the Pokémon enjoyed their lunches, Mark and Randy began their research, with Randy munching on a granola bar as he began tapping away at various holographic buttons on the PokéDex, bringing up a long list of Pokémon by name and region –a list that made him grimace as he saw how long it was. "Okay... there are more Dragon-types than I thought," he said.

"Narrow it down to final evolutions and ones that don't evolve," Mark replied, setting aside his food to dig out his bingo book again. "Chances are Lance will only be using Pokémon that're fully trained and evolved."

"Good plan," Randy agreed, and returned to making the proper adjustments to the PokéDex. This served to shorten the list considerably. "Ah, much better; now let's see here. Dragonite, we know he has. But..." He cringed. "Geez... there are a lot of Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon on this list. Salamence, Goodra, Garchomp and Hydeigon."

"Three of those are confirmed," Mark commented, reading through his book. "Lance used them all during the Pokémon World Tournament in the Champion's Division, except for Goodra. I don't know if he has that, but he definitely has the rest."

"Are you sure you can take this guy? He's packing a lot more firepower than even Drake did," Randy commented.

"On the contary," Mark returned. "This actually exposes Lance's weakness to me."

"Hubba-za-wha...?" Randy questioned.

"Those dragons," Mark began. "Each of them has a Sub-typing, right?"

Randy checked the PokéDex, reading over the information. "Hey... yeah, you're right. Garchomp's also a Ground-type, Salamence and Dragonite are both Flying, and Hydreigon's also a Dark-type."

"Then I have an advantage already," Mark stated. "Every Pokémon I have can take advantage of at least one of those types. Plus, as famous as Lance is, he's made his strategy all-too-obvious. Just like Drake, he focuses on sheer power to overwhelm his opponent."

"Hey, yeah!" Randy stated. "If he fights just like Drake, you've got this match in the bag already!"

Mark was about to speak, but then he froze, feeling an itch at the back of his mind as though his brain was being kicked by something. He then shifted position, putting a hand to his chin and thinking. "No... this is wrong," he said.

"What is?"

"It's way too obvious," Mark stated. "Lance clearly has a focus on power, but there has to be more to it than that; the man is a living legend for good reason. He knows Dragon-types better than any other trainer in the world; there's no way he wouldn't have some kind of backup plan."

"You think so?" Randy asked, tilting his head curiously.

Mark raised his book again, reading over the contents thoroughly. "It says that during the world tournament, Lance led every match with Dragonite."

"His strongest Pokémon? Why would he open with that?" Randy asked.

"I'm no sure," Mark replied. "Most trainers save their best for last unless there's some strategy involved. I just need to find –hey, wait a _minute_." He stared hard at a page he was on, reading over a section about Lance's battle with Johto Champion Ethan. "It says here that in his match with Ethan, he had more than one Dragonite –two, in fact."

"So what?"

"So," Mark said, looking at Randy. "No two Pokémon will ever be exactly alike. Dragons, especially; they're a well-rounded typing." He kept reading. "And here, it says that he owned two Dragonair and only one Dragonite when he was leading the Elite Four and battled Red and Blue in particular. He evolved one of them, and by now he _has_ to have evolved the other one too."

"Wait," Randy began. "If he has _three_ Dragonite now, why doesn't he use all of them at once in a battle? That gives him three Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon right off the bat."

"And there's the million dollar question," Mark returned. "Since his battle with Ethan, all of Lance's official matches report him only having one Dragonite at a time, but maybe there's a trick to that. Maybe he changes which one is active in his party to keep his opponent guessing."

"I get it," Randy stated. "At the world tournament, _lots_ of people, including other trainers, would see his Dragonite fighting. Someone who's about to face off against Lance could use that time to study his Dragonite –get a feel for it. Prepare."

"But what they don't expect is that he's got more than one, and the next one will not be like the first," Mark stated. "He uses his lead Pokémon to gauge his opponent, but he changes which Dragonite he's leading with to stop them from gauging _him_ ; he's deliberately trying to mislead them." Mark shut his bingo book. "Tanker and Siren... I utilize their defensive capabilities to be ready to switch between Physical and Special attackers as opponents. So if someone went into battle against Lance believing his Dragonite's a physical attacker..."

"By now he has instead switched to one that's a Special Attacker," Randy continued, "so that when his opponent comes in with a Pokémon using a high defense..."

"He's using a Dragonite better suited to this new opponent," Mark stated. "Lance's opening strategy is meant to catch his opponent off guard and force them to deviate from their original plan, but by then he's already gained the advantage, leaving them flustered and confused. If they can't come up with another plan quick, the sheer power of his Pokémon will crush them flat." Mark crossed his arms and nodded. "Brilliant. He took a conventional power approach, and devised a way to get an early advantage, which is _key_ for power teams."

Randy nodded in understanding before setting aside his PokéDex. "Seems like you've got it all figured out," he said.

"Just about," Mark replied. "I at least know what to watch out for but I'll need to think very carefully about my opening strategy and try to be ready for whatever he throws at me."

"Who do you think will be a good start?" Randy asked.

"Well, I need someone who has as much combat experience as possible, and who I know can tackle virtually any opponent," Mark replied. "And that means Vitesse is my best option for taking on Dragonite."

"Opening with your strongest right off that bat?" Randy pointed out. "That's kind of risky man. Plus if you lose her you lose the only Pokémon you've got that can Mega Evolve."

Mark turned to Randy and grinned. "Who said she was the only one I have that can?"

"Wait, what?" Randy asked, and began looking over all of Mark's Pokémon, wondering which of his Pokémon he meant. "But none of your other Pokémon can Mega Evolve, except your Charmeleon when he evolves to a Charizard."

"Ah, you don't know?" Mark asked, before jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards Tanker. " _He_ can Mega Evolve."

"Wait, Steelix can Mega Evolve?" Randy asked, looking at Tanker. "I didn't know that!" He looked back at Mark after a moment. "Freakin' awesome; what's it like?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to explain," Mark began. "But, when I took him for that test at Professor Sycamore's temporary laboratory, he told me that in his Mega form, the density of Tanker's skin is almost doubled, making his body as hard as Titanium –virtually impervious to physical harm. It also has this weird... gravitational flux that causes these shards of metal and crystal to orbit around him."

"That..." Randy began to saw, but clearly had trouble forming words to express his opinion on that description. "Sounds... really weird."

"I admit, I was confused by it too," Mark bade. "And, I've yet to actually use him in a battle so, I don't even know what his ability is when he Mega Evolves."

"Wait, you don't even know what his powers are?" Randy asked, skeptical.

"Another reason I haven't used it yet," Mark stated. "Without knowing what his ability is, it's hard to make a strategy using it. At this moment, all I've got to work with is his incredible defense. Against a physical attacker, he's damn near indestructible."

Randy hummed in thought. "You know, that could come in handy against Lance," he commented. "A lot of Dragon-types are Physical Attackers, and since Steel-types are resistant to Dragons... it could be a good opportunity to find out just how strong a Mega Steelix is."

"Maybe," Mark replied, not disagreeing with Randy. "I guess there's only one way to find out, and that's to face Lance himself."

As they continued to speak, they didn't notice Fang, having been laying in a napping position up until that moment, suddenly raised his head, ears standing upright in alert.

"Suppose the storm's over yet?" Randy asked.

"We'll know soon enough," Mark replied.

Suddenly, the two trainers heard Fang growling, and they turned to see him staring off towards a row of stalagmites at the other side of the cave. At that moment, Cairo and Skyclaw suddenly rose up as well, the Lucario going to stand over next to Fang, paws clenched into fists and legs widened to a combat-ready stance, while the dragoness growled even more audibly than Fang.

Mark knew this kind of behavior from Fang could only mean one thing; something was watching them. He spun around, facing the same direction as the Pokémon and called out. "Alright, who's over there?!" He demanded, feeling a bit of deja vu as he thought back to his first meeting with Marvin back in Hoenn. "Come out, now!"

A flash of movement, followed by a blurry shape dashing across the cave towards a nearby tunnel; too fast to be a human being. Just as suddenly as it emerged, the shape disappeared into the darkness; Fang began to give chase, but a sharp "Stop!" from Mark froze him in his tracks. He looked back at Mark with a curious whine.

"No sense running off into the dark and risking getting lost in here," Mark returned. "What do you suppose that thing was?" Randy asked.

"I don't know; moved so fast I couldn't get a good look at it," Mark replied. "Must've been a Pokémon of some kind."

"Obviously; no human can move like that," Randy returned. "I've seen some fast Pokémon, man, but that thing could _move_!"

Mark narrowed his eyes, staring off in the direction the strange creature had dashed away to, feeling suddenly uneasy. He proceeded to hurriedly pack his items back into his knapsack, saying, "we should go; if we're in a wild Pokémon's territory I don't think we want to wait to see if it comes back with friends."

"Yeah, you might be right," agreed Randy, brandishing several Poké Balls and beginning to recall his team.

Mark followed suite, returning all except for Tanker back to their Poké Balls for transport. Vitesse was reluctant to go back in to hers, clearly wanting to be present in case Mark needed her, but she compliantly returned none the less. With that, both trainers finished packing up and began to leave, following Tanker as he continue to clear debris for them and led the way through the cavern, all wondering if there was a pair of eyes watching them from the dark.

When the three finally emerged into daylight again, the sky was clear, letting the sun shine forth onto the soaking wet earth below, blessing them with the scent of dew on the grass beneath their feet, as well as the clean mountain air as they took in their first breath outside of the cave, feeling the rush of the cool, high altitude wind.

Ahead of them, a cobblestone path, leading a stairway that would take them to the very top of the Indigo Plateau. Seeing his destination in sight, Mark recalled Tanker back to his ball, thanking him for his assistance in bringing them there, before he strode on ahead followed shortly by Randy. They reached the stairway, and Mark ascended the steps in bounds, rising to the very last step to behold the Kanto/Johto Pokémon League's terminal building.

The building ahead, at the end of the stone sidewalk lined with various Pokémon statues, was what looked like a humongous mansion, stretching out to almost both ends of the plateau, with multiple floors lined with windows to reflect the light of the sun above. The structure was made up of brickwork with an orange hue that made it stand out against the green of the landscape –clearly done by professionals.

Randy let out a wolf whistle, chuckling slightly as he took in the sight of the structure. "Sure it's big enough, but look at the location! Think they're compensating for something?"

Mark shot him an incredulous look. "Really?" He asked, in a tone that matched his expression.

"Oh come on, that was golden!"

"Yeah, a golden turd," Mark returned as he walked ahead, approaching the building.

"You have no sense of humour," Randy stated as he followed the other trainer.

As they approached the terminal, Mark began to go over his plan for battling Lance again in his mind, calculating his odds just by the information he had and Randy's help. He had every confidence in his Pokémon and their ability to handle Dragon-types, but he had only figured out part of Lance's strategy. The rest, he would have to work out on his feet during the battle itself.

"I wonder what Lance himself is like?" Mark wondered aloud, but too low for Randy to hear. "What kind of person is the Dragon Master?"

He pondered this question until he reached the front entrance of the League Building, where a set of double doors stood in his path. He approached one of them, pushing it open and entering the manor-like structure, where he was introduced to a massive lobby. Rows of chairs filled the room between where they stood all the way to a set of ornate double doors, on either side of which rested two counters. The left one, an on-site Pokémon Center, inside of which Mark could see medical machinery that looked absolutely state of the art, while at the other, a miniature PokéMart, with shelves covered in the most powerful medicines available to Pokémon without Doctor prescriptions.

 _'_ _Only the best_ for _the best_ ,' Mark thought as he took in the surroundings.

"I guess just like at Hoenn the outside is meant simply to be cosmetic," Randy commented.

"Looks that way," Mark agreed. "Although I would wager that the Elite Four and Champion _do_ live in this place somewhere, just like at Hoenn."

"Yeah, true," Randy agreed, and snickered. "You know I was getting so comfortable at the Hoenn League I was in the process of moving out of my old place to live there full-time."

"Didn't exactly work out that way, huh?" Mark asked as he began to cross the room, heading for the Pokémon Center desk.

"Like _you_ didn't do the same?" Randy asked.

"I didn't, actually," Mark replied. "I stayed at the League sometimes if I knew I had a challenger the following day or if other conditions stopped me from heading home. But otherwise I lived at my own house, north of Mauville."

"There aren't any towns north of Mauville," Randy pointed out.

"I live in the countryside," Mark clarified. "Always have; never really been a city guy."

"...I'm not sure I'm ever going to figure you out, bro."

"Why not? I'm not the only Champion who owns a house outside of the League you know," Mark replied.

"Name me one other guy who did, and he _has_ to be from Hoenn," Randy challenged.

"Steven Stone," Mark replied. "He owns a house in Mossdeep, _and_ he's due to inherit a Megacorporation in Rustboro City."

"Wait, _what_?!" Randy barked. "Steven lives in Mossdeep? That's where _I_ live too!"

Mark shrugged. "I wouldn't even say he really lives there," he said. "Rumor has it he barely spends any time there at all."

"What's his home address?"

"Now _how_ would I know _that?_ We weren't exactly friends when I met him, and I haven't seen him since I beat him at Ever Grande. My guess is he's travelling abroad, continuing with his study of old secrets –you could say he's kind of an Archaeologist on the side."

Randy shrugged. "Everyone needs a hobby, I guess."

As Mark approached the counter, the nurse attending looked up at him and smiled in greeting. "Hello; welcome to the Indigo Plateau. Are you in need of some assistance?"

"Yes," Mark replied, reaching into his vest and picking out a Poké Ball from his holster. "My Steelix tired himself out on the way up here; he needs a little pick-me-up."

"Absolutely," she returned, reaching under the counter to retrieve a carrying case from the underside, which she placed in front of Mark to let him place Tanker's Poké Ball in one of the slots. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Mark continued. "I'm here to see Lance, the Champion; is he available?"

"If you have an appointment with the Champion, sir, you are free to call him on the service line," she offered, gesturing to a phone across the counter. "if he's expecting you, he will answer."

"He's not expecting me," Mark replied. "I came here from Hoenn to meet with him, but I didn't call ahead in advance."

The nurse looked uncertain of how to respond to that, tapping her fingers against the counter as she considered how to do so. "One moment please," she bade, rising from her seat and approaching the phone she had indicated before, picking up the receiver and tapping a few keys before holding it to her ear. After a short wait, someone seemed to answer as she began to speak. "Yes, Mr. Koga; sorry for troubling you, but there is a gentleman at the counter who wishes to speak to Lance... One moment." She looked at Mark. "He wishes to know why you want to speak to the Champion."

"I'm here to challenge him," Mark replied honestly.

She returned to her conversation, passing along Mark's message, before she turned to the Hoenn trainer again. "Do you have the eight official Kanto League badges?"

"No," Mark replied. "I'm not here to battle him for his Champion title."

Once more, the nurse was back on the phone, relaying the message to whoever she was speaking to. Shortly, she thanked the person and hung up the phone, turning to Mark. "Mr. Koga is on his way down to speak with you."

"Thank you," Mark said, gratefully, before they stepped away from the desk and he glanced at Randy. "Any idea who Koga is?"

"One of the Elite Four here in Kanto," Randy replied. "And, used to be the Gym Leader of Fuschia City's Poison-type Gym; from what I hear he's a modern day ninja too."

"Ninja, huh?" Mark asked, giving a doubtful look to Randy. "This ought to be fun."

"The ways of the shadow warrior are nothing to joke about, young trainer," a voice spoke behind Mark, causing him to freeze in his tracks.

He glanced at Randy, and sure enough the Hoenn trainer's companion wasn't looking at Mark, but rather past him. Mark frowned deeply, turning and looking over his shoulder at the man standing behind him; a middle-aged man with spiky hair and wearing a black shinobi robe with dark gray trimming, metal shin guards and a red scarf trailing from behind him.

"Well, your response time was definitely impressive, Mr. Koga," Mark stated. _'This guy has about four out of five of the cliché's I've seen in every single ninja movie I've_ ever _watched. Doesn't_ anyone _know what 'ninja' actually were?'_

"Why have you come here, young man?" Koga asked, crossing his arms.

"As the nurse informed you, I'm here to battle Lance, the Champion," Mark replied. "But I'm not here to battle him for his title. I only wish to test myself against him."

"The rules dictate that only someone who has proven their worth against the eight Kanto Gym Leaders and collected their badges my challenge the Pokémon League, and even then you must defeat the Elite Four before you earn the right to do battle with the Champion."

"I'm well aware of the rules, sir," Mark returned. "I used to be a Champion myself."

"Of where?"

"Hoenn," Mark replied. "My name is Mark Taylor."

Koga's brows twitched slightly, looking at Mark with a more attentive stare. "Taylor, you say?" He asked. "The young tactician who defeated Steven?"

"So you've heard of me, then?" Mark asked.

"That I have," replied Koga. "You have become quite well-known for your strategic approach to Pokémon Battles. Though, I have also heard the Pokémon at your disposal is rather lacking in variety, which many of us here believe led to your defeat and, in turn, the loss of your title."

"Ooh, shots fired," Randy muttered.

"Shut up Randy," Mark retorted without looking back at the other trainer.

"Randy?" Koga asked, looking past Mark at the other trainer. "As in Randall Calvin, the previous Champion?"

Mark looked back at Randy. "You never said your name was actually 'Randall'," he remarked.

"I prefer Randy," the other trainer replied. "And yes, Mr. Koga; I'm the same one."

Koga arched an eyebrow. "Rather odd for one to be travelling with a trainer they were defeated by," he remarked. "I would think you would consider him your rival."

Mark waved his hand dismissively. "Not a concern at the moment," he replied.

"And now you come all the way to Kanto, hoping to challenge Lance," Koga continued. "Do you think to take _his_ Champion title because you lost your own?"

"I already told you, I'm not here for a title match," Mark stated. "I'm on a new journey, one where I challenge the best trainers in the world to test myself against them."

"If you are so committed to that journey, you should earn your way to challenging the Champions in the traditional manner," Koga stated. "Earn the eight official badges of Kanto, and then return here. Then you may earn the right to battle Lance."

"If I go through that process in every region, I'll be on this journey for _years_ ," Mark returned.

"If you are truly committed to this, then time should be of no consequence," Koga retorted. "To master anything, one must study their entire life; that is what we of the Elite Four have done, that is what Lance as the Champion has done; there are no shortcuts on the path of a master."

Mark scowled, rapidly losing his patience with the so-called 'Ninja'. _'Scratch that;_ five _out of five clichés, including the one of talking a lot of crap.'_ "I guarantee you, Koga, I could take you and the other Elite Four members right now and curb-stomp all four of you. If I have to do that to get to Lance, then I'll take you all on right now."

"You think you can simply barge your way in?" Koga demanded, his expression souring and becoming a glare as he stared at Mark, unflinching. "I can just as easily have Security come and remove you from here."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Randy stepped in. "Mark, this is starting to get out of control; we didn't come here to get in trouble with the authorities."

"Tell that to the movie ripoff right here," Mark retorted before he realized what words had just left his mouth. ' _Oh shit.'_

"How _dare_ you!" Koga growled. "You insult not only myself, but the traditions of my ancestors! I will have you thrown out of this building!" He turned, and opened his mouth to call out, but another voice boomed over his own.

"Security! It happened again!"

Koga turned again, this time towards the PokéMart counter, as did Mark and Randy, who witnessed the clerk standing at the counter as two uniformed men approached from across the room to speak with him. The Poison-type Master narrowed his eyes, glancing at Mark. "See yourself out," he said before he stepped around him and approached the counter.

But Mark would not be deterred, despite Koga's earlier threat. Furthermore, he was curious as to what was happening, and quietly crept closer even as Randy hissed a protest to him, asking what he was doing, so that he might listen in to the incident.

"Two boxes, this time," the clerk told the guards. "Slashed open, just like the others, and only to steal Pokémon Food like last time."

"That makes twice in one week," one of the guards stated. "I've had my Arcanine search the entire plateau countless times but he keeps losing the trail; where could the thieves be?"

"If their scent is being lost before even leaving the plateau, it stands to reason that our intruder may be escaping on a flying Pokémon," Koga stated. "But perhaps we can pick up a new trail this day. Send your canines into the back and start searching."

"If I may," Mark began, steeping in to the midst and getting the attention of the four. "Perhaps a third nose would also be of help; I have a Pokémon who's a pretty good tracker."

"I told you to leave," Koga reminded Mark.

"I know," Mark began. "What I said was disrespectful and uncalled for; if you'd allow me to I'd like to make up for it."

"This is a Security matter, boy; we don't need your help," Koga returned. "Now leave this building, and don't come back unless you the required Gym Badges."

"With all due respect, this time," Mark stated. "From what I heard just now you haven't been able to find the thief so far; what do you have to lose in taking in additional help?"

"We don't need your...!"

"Koga!"

The new voice booming out from the main entrance froze the Poison-type Master, who immediately ceased his retort and spun in the direction of the voice as a young adult man approached from the main entrance of the League Terminal. A man with spiky read hair and brown eyes, fair-skinned and garbed in a black cloak that fully encompassed his form, hiding beneath it a lean-figured man wearing blue clothes with orange highlights and brown leather boots that echoed strong, proud steps as he crossed the room.

"Explain this; what is going on?" The man asked.

"We've had another break-in, Lance," replied Koga, before pointing at Mark. "And this young man is interfering with the investigation."

Mark twitched slightly as he heard Koga refer to the man by name, realizing that this was the trainer he was here to do battle with. Now that he knew this, Mark took in the sight of the famous Dragon Master, seeing how he walked –a step of authority and pride with every placement of his boot. Below the face, Mark got a 'theatrical' impression from the man, but once he looked into his face, and eyes, he felt like he was staring at the face of a predator, just by how Lance wore his expression, and the hidden ferocity he could see deep in Lance's brown eyes. Mark found himself actually somewhat shaken by this man, sensing his inner strength like a burning fire.

 _'_ _No doubt about it; this is_ definitely _Lance...'_ Mark thought.

"To my ears, it sounded like he was offering to help," Lance returned to Koga, snapping Mark out of his trance as the Kanto Champion spoke, stopping a few steps away from the Poison Master. "We've been after this thief for six weeks, Koga, and the store is losing business enough without having Pokémon food to sell to us or league challengers."

"But Lance, when this man came here, he was asking to challenge you, without meeting the requirements expected of other trainers," Koga went on. "The rules say that anyone wishing to challenge the Champion must have eight official badges, _and_ defeat the Elite Four beforehand."

"For _official title_ matches _only,_ " Mark corrected the Poison Master, earning another glare from Koga.

"He's correct," Lance added before Koga could reply. "Just because I'm the Champion doesn't mean I am not still a Pokémon Trainer –I can have non-official matches if I so choose, and that is _my_ decision to make."

"Very well," Koga returned. "But does he really have any right to involve himself in an internal matter? It goes against protocol."

"As I said, Koga, we've been unsuccessful in finding the thief ourselves," Lance reminded. "Perhaps a little outside help –especially one whose jurisdiction is _not_ limited only to the Plateau because of protocol, is called for."

Koga let out a frustrated sigh, casting a glance at Mark, who resisted the urge to smile back as he did not want to appear smug, before he nodded in agreement. "As you say, Champion."

"Now," Lance began, turning his attention to Mark. Soon as their eyes met, Mark felt his foot twitch, demanding his step away from the trainer, but he stood his ground, facing Lance and steadying himself. Why was he so intimidated by him? It was like he felt as though he were staring into the face of a dragon just by _looking_ at Lance, but he was human, just like him.

"What is your name, stranger?" Lance asked.

"M-Mark Taylor," the Hoenn trainer replied, silently cursing himself for allowing sounding so shaken up.

Lance's eyebrows elevated slightly at the mention of the name, seeming to catch his interest "Taylor, you say? I've heard of you."

"I'm surprised anyone knows me out here," Mark commented, scratching his head. "I didn't know anything about the trainers of Kanto until I started researching for my journey."

Lance smiled, and just in that once alteration of his facial expression, Mark no longer felt intimidated by the Dragon Master. "There will be time for that later," he bade. "Now, you say you wish to help us locate the thief. How do you plan to do so?"

Mark reached into his vest, fumbling around before bringing out a Poké Ball, smiling as he looked up at Lance. "By starting at the beginning."

Fang scurried out of the storage room of the PokéMart, exiting through the back door followed closely by Randy, Lance and Koga. The Mightyena's nose was pressed to the ground, and he had slowed his pace as he hung a right, and headed towards the front of the league building. With Mark in the lead, the four humans followed after him, watching his movements. Koga, however, remained unconvinced.

"Our Security Guards already tried this with their Pokémon," he said. "And when they could go no further, we searched the surrounding area. How is your plan any different, Mr. Taylor?"

"This time, the scent is fresh," Mark replied, watching the Mightyena follow the trail. "You see how Fang's following the scent? Whoever made off with that food was just here; they couldn't have gone far with how much they took."

"But if they escape on a flying Pokémon, what does it matter?" Lance asked. "Your Mightyena cannot follow the scent through the air."

"He can't," replied Mark, before looking back at Lance and Randy. "But you two can."

"Eh?" Randy asked.

"Explain," Lance request, narrowing his eyes.

"Dragons have acute senses of smell as well," Mark replied. "Beyond that, with how fresh this scent is, there's no way any fliers would have gotten very far in the time since the robbery."

"The Security camera was cut; how can you be sure of when the robbery happened?" Koga asked.

"I may not be a detective," Mark admitted. "But I trust my Pokémon. Fang has the scent quite clearly, so whoever it was waited until after the rain shower we just had before they committed the robbery, which was only half an hour ago."

"You have a point," Lance agreed, nodding. "This could be our chance to finally catch them." He produced a Poké Ball from the hidden confines of his flowing cape. "I shall be ready."

They carried on for a short while, until Fang eventually reached the cliff of the plateau overlooking the vast expanse of the land below –the wide stretch of the Viridian Forest's western end, all the way to the distant peaks of Mt. Moon, the rivers of Cerulean City and even the great bay where Mark and Randy had first made landfall in Kanto were all in sight from that ridge.

"Can't argue with the view you guys get up here," Randy stated in a snarky manner.

"Trail ends here," Mark said, watching as Fang walked in a circle, continuing to smell.

"As I thought, you found no more than our Security Officers did," Koga stated. "You should leave this to true detectives, Mr. Taylor."

"With all due respect, Koga," Mark stated, looking over his shoulder at the ninja master. "My 'investigation' isn't done."

Koga arched a questioning eyebrow, as did Lance, the two of them watching as Mark knelt down to face his Mighyena as Fang turned to him again, holding up a paw. Mark held out his hand, all of his fingers outstretched, and Fang gently brought his paw down upon Mark's fingers, pushing down his middle, ring and little fingers which he curled back into his palm. To the onlookers, it seemed like Fang was either high-fiving or playing some kind of game with Mark, until the Hoenn trainer, held up the finger that was left outstretched, and Mark met Fang's gaze, receiving a confirming nod from the Pokémon in return.

"Fang says there's still only one scent," Mark stated, petting the Mightyena's neck as he stood up. "Whoever stole the food came to this cliff, but they didn't leave on a flying Pokémon –not unless they jumped onto it while it was in midair. I have a hard time believing anyone could do that while carrying items."

"I bet the ninja master here could," Randy commented, jerking his thumb at Koga, who gave him a stern look in retaliation. "What? It was a compliment."

"While it's true I have practiced such a maneuver, even I would have difficulty doing so whilst carrying an armload of containers filled with Pokémon food," Koga admitted, before looking at Mark. "So there wasn't a second Pokémon here at all?"

"Nope. Only the scent of our robber," Mark replied. "Which can only mean one thing; they went over the cliff."

"Impossible," Lance stated, walking over to the ledge and peering down to the treetops below. "The distance from here to the ground is vast; no one could survive a fall from this height."

"I see no toolmarks or pegs to indicate they climbed up either," Mark added. "So unless our thief was wearing a glider, I think they might actually _be_ a Pokémon." He put a hand to his chin. "A box, cut open with a single swipe of a very sharp blade, followed by the ability to fly... what Pokémon could accomplish those things?"

"A Scyther," Koga stated, non-hesitantly.

Mark looked over his shoulder at Koga. "What's a Scyther?"

"A Bug/Flying-type Pokémon, mantis-like," he replied. "At the end of its arms are blades proven to be able to cut through solid wood."

After hearing Koga mention the Pokémon, Randy pulled out his PokéDex, punching in the name to the search engine and waiting for a picture to appear, revealing a green, bipedal creature with an lean-figured body, with two short arms ending in a pair of massive, curving blades, and a rather reptilian looking face that off-set its otherwise insectoid features. Two long, gossamer wings grew outward from its back. Its legs had an inverted knee to that of a human's, and its sharp-looking eyes added to its fearsome features.

"This it?" Randy asked, showing the picture to Koga.

"That is the one," the Poison Master confirmed.

Mark groaned, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "A bug... _why_ did it have to be a bug?"

"That section of the Viridian Forest below was recently turned into a Pokémon Preserve," Lance asked. "It was set up four years ago after the Safari Zone was decommissioned; many Pokémon were relocated there, and are overseen by a team of Pokémon Rangers."

"Maybe one of them can help us track down our little bandit bug," Randy offered.

"Agreed," Lance returned. "There's a watch tower not far from here; I know the Ranger who works there. We'll start with him."

"Sounds like a plan," Mark agreed. "Just... don't let the bug near me."

"You have an aversion to bug-types?" Lance asked.

"You might say that," Mark replied, cringing as he recollected his reasons for disliking bugs and decidedly shared it with Lance. "I was nearly stung to death by some Beedrill when I was a little kid; they'd made a nest in the husk of an old car I crawled into while my dad wasn't looking. Never liked bugs since then."

"An understandable reason," Lance admitted, grimacing. "That must've been very unpleasant."

Mark didn't answer the Dragon Master. However little of his childhood he actually could recollect, that was one part of his childhood that was forever burned into his mind, and wasn't something he liked to look back on. Every time he heard the buzzing of those bee-like Pokémon, it was like going back to that hellish day all over again. It was why he chose to live as far away from forests as possible where one might find them.

 _'_ _...Ah_ shit, _'_ Mark cursed in his mind as he realized he was now going to fly down into a forest that was going to be _swarming_ with the nightmarish insects...

Three flying forms descended upon the western edge of the Viridian woods, heading towards a tall structure overlooking the forest all around it. The lookout tower stood sixteen stories high with a sturdy wooden frame, rising over even the tallest trees in the forest, allowing anyone who resided at the top to be able to see great distances, spotting fires, incoming storms or travellers in need, as well as be easier to spot for said travellers who were lost in the woods.

They were on preserve land now as the three trainers descended to the ground. The tower was too narrow to land on, so they would have to approach it on foot. Randy, riding on Skyclaw's back, was the first to land, followed shortly by Mark and Palm Tree. Last to arrive was Lance, riding on the back of his Dragonite. The large, orange, rather gentle beast touched down softly, giving a curious hum as it looked around the clearing in which they had landed with its big, round eyes until Lance jumped off of its back.

Tossing his cape to straighten it out, Lance joined Mark and Randy as they dismounted from the backs of their fliers, telling them to wait there for them. "If the ranger is not out on his rounds, he'll be up there at the top of the tower," Lance said, pointing.

"Let's just hope he can help us find the Scyther we're after," Mark bade. "Randy, you should wait down here with the Pokémon in case he _is_ out on his rounds and shows up. Lance and I will go up and see him."

"Okay," Randy returned, going to stand over by Skyclaw. "Try not to fall off the tower, okay?"

"I'm not a klutz, bud," Mark returned as he and Lance approached the tower, climbing the hill to reach the stairway leading up, and began to climb.

This tower was designed with the stairway being inside of the supports, which would lead up to a trapdoor, rather than other towers that had the stairs wrapping around the outside leading up. As they began climbing, Mark stared up the tower all the way to the top, wondering if the Ranger saw them coming and would meet them halfway down. But, as far as he could see, their arrival remained unnoticed.

"So how do you know the Ranger here, anyway?" Mark asked Lance.

"He comes up to the League sometimes to purchase supplies from the on-site PokéMart," Lance explained. "Apparently he knows a secret trail up the mountain besides Victory Road; it's longer and eventually enters the cave itself, but it's the most direct way up."

"He must know this area really well," Mark commented. "You know, I used to actually want to be a Pokémon Ranger... maybe I should look that up again."

Lance chuckled. "It certainly isn't a _boring_ job, from what I understand," he remarked. "Now, may I ask _you_ a question?"

"Sure," Mark replied.

"Why were you at the League?" Lance asked. "Koga said you didn't have any of the official badges required so what were you doing all the way out here?"

"Actually, I came hoping to battle you," Mark replied, wiping some sweat from his forehead; it was a hot day, and climbing these stairs was a workout. _No wonder Rangers stay so fit,_ he thought. "I'm on a new journey, travelling to all of the Regions to take on their best-ranked trainers. You were on my list, but Koga didn't seem very keen on letting me even speak to you."

"Koga is very by-the-book," Lance commented. "It comes with being a very traditional person and one who follows a strict code."

"That part of his ninja fetish?" Mark mumbled.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing."

"Okay... so you wanted to battle me. Have you faced anyone else or was I your first choice?" Lance asked.

"Actually, I wasn't going in any particular order, but I _have_ already battled Blue Oak, the Viridian Gym Leader," Mark replied. "He's an ex-Champion so I thought he'd be a good opponent. But I heard Red wasn't always at home so, I decided I'd come up here first, then work on finding him."

"You wish to battle Red as well?" Lance asked, sounding surprised. " _And_ you already battled his rival?"

"That about sums it up, yeah," Mark returned.

"How did your battle with Blue fare; did you win?" Lance asked.

"I did... but I'll admit, it was tough," Mark replied. "A couple of times, I thought he had me dead to rights but I..."

"Stop," Lance said suddenly. Mark looked back, noticing he had ceased his climbing, and was no longer looking at Mark. His eyes were wandering, as if looking for something, and he wore an intense expression.

"What is it; what's wrong?" Mark asked.

"Listen; do you hear that?" Lance asked.

Mark listened, trying to find what sound had Lance so spooked. Eventually, his ears picked up on a slight buzzing noise filling the air, which made Mark shudder. "Oh damn it; tell me that's not a Beedrill."

"Too loud to be a Beedrill," Lance replied, giving Mark a little comfort in his certainty. "And wrong sound for a swarm; something bigger is nearby."

They continued to listen, hearing the buzzing grow steadily louder as they waited. "It's coming from there," Lance said, pointing into the trees.

No sooner did he say that did something emerge from the trees, moving fast. It burst from the canopy of leaves and made a beeline right for them, letting out a sharp scream as it raced towards them, a pair of razor-sharp blades glinting in the sunlight at the ends of its arms while it brandished them for an attack.

"Watch out!" Lance cried and ducked down behind the rail, with Mark following his example.

The Scyther, racing between the support beams, swiped at Mark, being the closer, and its blade whizzed through the air where his head had been a second before. When it missed, the Scyther went through the opposite side, shrieking again as it began to circle back around.

 _'_ _Geez that crazy bug could've decapitated me!'_ Mark realized, standing up and seeking out the Scyther with his eyes, spotting it as it finished its u-turn and began to approach them again. "Look out; here he comes again!" Mark cried.

The Scyther shrieked as it neared, diving between the supports again but this time slowing itself down and landing on the stairway ahead of Mark, snarling at him and waving its blades at him. Mark backed up, though nearly stumbled on the stairs as he did, but Scyther advanced, baring its teeth at him as it glared at him sharply with its black, almost human eyes.

Lance stepped in front of Mark, detaching his cape and throwing it in Scyther's face, but it slashed through the piece of clothing in a single swipe, and lunged at him, driving him back into Mark and sending both of them tumbling towards the railing. They both stood defensively, expecting Scyther to attack again, but it hadn't moved any further, staying where it was and holding up its blades arms threateningly as it barred their way.

"It doesn't want us to reach the top," Lance observed.

"But why not?" Mark asked.

"I don't know," Lance replied. "It's almost as if..."

He didn't get to finish before suddenly the Scyther was jumped from the side by Skyclaw, plunging her head between the supports and chomping down on Scyther's arm to pull it off the stairs and throw it out into open air, where it was then struck by Palm Tree, rearing back and kicking it with his forelegs to send it spiralling, but it managed to correct its descent and resume proper flight, growling at the Tropius and Salamence as it rushed at them.

Skyclaw roared at Scyther, rushing to meet its charge and swiping her foreclaws at it, but it vanished just before she could land the hit, leaving her confused and wondering how she had missed. It then reappeared behind her, and she let out an agonized roar as it delivered two strikes with its blades to her wing joints, causing her wings to seize up and for her to plummet out of the air, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"Skyclaw!" They heard Randy cry out when he saw his dragon fall.

"Wait," Lance said suddenly. "That Scyther... I've seen it before!"

"What're you talking about?" Mark asked, quizzically.

"Look at those ornaments on its legs!" Lance directed, pointing at Scyther's feet as it was suddenly engaged by Palm Tree, who shrieked at it as he kicked and slapped at Scyther with his palm frond wings. When Scyther turned to counter-attack, Mark saw what Lance was referring to; two shiny objects, one on each thigh, could be seen worn on Scyther's legs. Mark couldn't make out what the items were, but he understood Lance's meaning.

"It's wearing something," Mark said. "Then, you know who its trainer is?"

"Yes; it belongs the very Ranger we're here to see!" Lance replied.

"The _Ranger_ is the one who's been stealing food?!" Mark demanded.

"But that makes no sense," Lance stated, before he shook his head in denial. "We have to go see him, and find out the truth!"

Mark looked at Lance. "Get up top and confront him; Randy and I will stop that thing!" He directed before he began to run down the stairs, skipping over several at a time with each stride while Lance continued to ascend the tower, roughly three-quarters of the way up already. He looked up to see Palm Tree struggling against the Scyther, even though now Lance's Dragonite had flown in and joined the battle as well, adding its strength to the battle with the renegade Pokémon.

But even with Dragonite's strength, the Scyther was putting the pressure on; its speed was incredible, dodging Dragonite the instant it tried to land a Thunderpunch on it, and then still managed to avoid an Air Slash from Palm Tree, returning the favour by dashing at the Tropius and hitting his flank with a Wing Attack, striking just the right place to cause Palm Tree to lose his balance and fall out of the air. Fortunately, Mark was quick enough to brandish Palm Tree's Poké Ball and recall him before he hit the ground.

Randy turned, hearing Mark's footsteps approach. "Where's Lance?" He asked.

"Going to confront our friendly Ranger," Mark returned. "Apparently that Scyther up there belongs to him!"

"You're kidding me," Randy returned. "So now the Game Warden has turned Poacher; fan _tastic_!" He remarked sarcastically.

"No time to worry about that now," Mark returned, producing another Poké Ball from his vest. "Let's take this bug down!"

"Alright then!" Randy agreed, recalling the injured Skyclaw to her ball before he too went for his next one.

"Vitesse, you're up!" Mark called.

"Go, Cairo!"

The Blaziken and Lucario emerged from their spherical vessels, materializing into the open air and quickly finding their target. After which, the two heard Lance calling down from the top of the tower, but whether it was directed at them or not, they couldn't tell. They got their answer when Dragonite looked up, hearing his master's call, and then flew out of the way as Scyther rushed at him again, flying up to meet him. Scyther started to give chase, only to be forced to veer off as Vitesse sprang at it and unleashed an airborne Blaze Kick.

Scyther successfully dodged the kick, but not the Aura Sphere that followed after, throwing off its aerial balance and sending it careening to the ground to crash. Shaking off the following daze, Scyther stood back up and faced Vitesse and Cairo, growling ferally as it held up its blades in readiness for more fighting. Vitesse and Cairo stanced themselves, watching Scyther closely until it made its move, dashing at them and slashing at both with its blades; they dodged, and Vitesse struck back with another Blaze Kick, swinging at Scyther with her leg, under which it dodged, and then struck her with a Wing Attack to stumble her.

"Cairo, Bone Rush!" Randy called.

The Lucario formed the bone staff from his Aura Energy, and used it to block a slash from Scyther; the Bone wouldn't affect Scyther in attack, thanks to its flying type but he could still use it defensively. They clashed, Cairo's weapon and Scyther's blades meeting numerous times as the Lucario tried to force an opening in his opponent's guard, but Scyther was successfully warding him off, and eventually surprised him by darting out of the way of a kick, where he then lunged forth as if to attack; Cairo put up his bone to block, but Scyther changed its attack at the last second and kicked the Lucario in the stomach, winding him.

Mark and Randy watched in dismay as Scyther, without a trainer even to guide it, was actually holding off two Pokémon at once –two highly trained and experienced Fighting-type Pokémon no less! Neither Vitesse or Cairo could outmaneuver Scyther, even with their already impressive speed –they were swift, but it was swifter still.

"If that Ranger is the one who trained this Scyther, he did a damn good job!" Randy commented.

" _That_ is an understatement!" Mark returned.

The battle continued to rage on without either side showing any sign of tiring. Scyther was still successfully fending off both of them by dodging and deflecting their every attack. It even managed to slash through Cairo's Bone Rush, splitting it in two, and then kicking Cairo in the stomach again to knock the wind out of him, leaving just Vitesse to fight it, warding off Scyther's strikes with Dual Chop.

Mark clenched his fist, and raised his left arm, glancing at the keystone housed in the bracelet on his wrist. "No choice," he said. "I'm going to Mega Evolve Vitesse."

"Good idea; this Scyther's tough," Randy returned, and was considering using his own keystone as well to Mega Evolve Cairo, when a voice boomed through the air and stopped him in his tracks.

" _CEASE!_ All of you!"

It was none other than Lance, descended from the Watch Tower on his Dragonite's back once more, which dropped down between Scyther and Vitesse, forcing them to leap away from each other. After which, Lance jumped off of Dragonite's back, facing Scyther and speaking to it. "Scyther! I know why it is you're attacking us, now," He spoke in a powerful, commanding tone to the Bug-type Pokémon, capturing its attention and making it wait to listen. "But this is the wrong way to go about it; I ask of you, stand down now and let us help you!"

Scyther snarled angrily, taking a threatening step towards Lance. Mark saw the Dragon Master's arm shift, and noticed he was holding something behind his back; all Mark could see was a hint of red from Lance's palm. Was it a Poké Ball? Or some other item he was going to use to subdue the enraged Scyther?

"Scyther, please," Lance stated, his expression softening as he continued to address the Pokémon. "This isn't what he would want."

"Wait, what's he talking about?" Randy asked. "What who would want?"

Mark couldn't make a reply, but a pit in his stomach told him that Lance had found something up in that tower that they had not expected to find...

Scyther let out an angry cry, and charged right at Lance. The Dragon Master brandished the item he was concealing, aiming at Scyther with it but he was too slow; Scyther struck the ball, shattering it to pieces with the strength of his claw and sending Lance stumbling backward into his Dragonite, who instinctively caught him, but left himself open for an attack from Scyther. He angled his body to take the Bug Pokémon's attack that was intended for his trainer, and let out a pained cry as Scyther opened a laceration in his back.

"Dragonite!" Lance cried.

"Vitesse, go!" Mark urged his Blaziken, sending her back into the fight; she launched herself through the air, delivering a flying sideways kick to Scyther and knocking it backward, thus giving Mark and Randy the opportunity to run over and help Lance as Dragonite fell to his knees, with Lance struggling to support him.

With Mark and Randy's help, they managed to sit Dragonite down, giving them the chance to check his wound. Fortunately it wasn't too deep but it was in a very tender area, right across the back and barely missing the spine.

"Damn it all; I wasn't quick enough," Lance cursed himself, before turning to Mark. "You have to try and stop Scyther, and the only way to do so is to capture him."

"But he already has a trainer," Mark reminded Lance.

"But not a Poké Ball," Lance returned, gesturing to the metal fragments on the grass next to them. "He just destroyed it."

"That was _his_ ball?" Mark asked, surprised.

"There's no time to explain; just do it!" Lance practically ordered the Hoenn Trainer.

Mark was taken aback slightly by Lance's tone, but he could see from the look in his eyes that something was off about Scyther's trainer, and right now Mark was the only one with a Pokémon out that was in condition to stop it; time was of the essence.

"Alright," Mark returned.

With that, he left Lance in Randy's care, running over to stand with Vitesse as she kept up the battle with Scyther. Just as he arrived, Vitesse stumbled back from a Slash attack across her chest, sending some feather pieces scattering to the winds, but no blood, indicating it hadn't reached the skin beneath her feathers.

"Vitesse; Thunderpunch!" Mark commanded.

The Blaziken squawked in reply, electricity coursing along her arms as she charged at Scyther again, ducking under his blades and delivering a punishing blow right to his gut, stumbling him enough to take a second punch across the face.

"Now, Blaze Kick!"

Vitesse balanced on one leg, turning her heel as she spun around and delivered a mighty, flaming roundhouse kick that sent Scyther flying through the air until he struck a nearby tree, splintering the bark with the force of the impact. Scyther tried to move, but sparks of electricity crackled over his body; the Thunderpunch had inflicted Paralysis upon him, and now he was completely immobile.

"Alright, here goes," Mark said as he reached into the side-pocket of his knapsack and produced a Great Ball –a blue Poké Ball with red highlights, designed to be sturdier than a standard Poké Ball, but this one had been sitting in Mark's bag for a long time. How long had it been, he wondered, since he had actually done this? The last Pokémon he had ever captured was Palm Tree, and it had to have been almost two years since then. Could he still even adequately throw one of these things?

Only one way to find out, he decided.

"Here goes!" Mark called, and hurled the Great Ball as hard as he could, sending it straight at Scyther. It whirled through the air soundlessly, arching over the grass towards the bug-type Pokémon, closer by the second until it finally struck home, hitting Scyther in the shoulder and popping open, where Scyther's body de-materialized into crimson energy and drew him in.

 _'_ _I actually landed that,'_ Mark thought.

The ball fell to the ground after snapping shut, containing within it the Scyther, who was already putting up a struggle to get back out. He was quite enthusiastic about it too, as the ball was moving rather violently, going side-to-side, rolling about the grass and at one point even seemingly hopping off of it. More shaking...

More shaking...

And then it stopped, going still and quiet. Mark watched it for a few more seconds, as sometimes Pokémon could smash their way out of a ball right when you think they're caught. But this time, they didn't; Scyther remained in the ball, and thus Mark had captured his first ever Bug-type Pokémon...

"I got him!" Mark exclaimed, and then turned to Vitesse. "Great work, girl!"

Vitesse clucked in reply, pumping her fist in the air triumphantly; their first capture in years, and she had been able to face a worthy opponent to boot. Together they strode over to the Great Ball, where Mark reached down, picked it up and looked it over. "Sorry about that, Scyther, but you left me little choice," he spoke to the ball.

As if able to hear him, he felt the ball twitch in his hand, but it remained shut.

Mark looked to his Blaziken and smiled wryly. "I guess we have a new soldier in our little platoon," he commented.

 _"_ _Ha-chik,"_ Vitesse clucked.

Suddenly remembering Lance and Randy, Mark turned to check on his two companions. They were standing, watching him, with their own Pokémon all recalled now, including Lance's wounded Dragonite and Randy's hurt Lucario, now safely resting in their Poké Balls. He and Vitesse jogged over to meet them, and Lance was the first to speak.

"Did you do it?"

Mark nodded. "Yes," he replied. "I captured Scyther."

"How did you manage to do that?" Randy asked. "I thought that Scyther had a trainer?"

"Yeah; that was bothering me too," Mark returned, looking at Lance. "Why did you have Scyther's Poké Ball; where's the Ranger?"

Lance averted his gaze, staring at the ground with a disgusted look on his face, struggling to find words to explain to them. But it was hard to do so without being blunt, and in the end he just came out and said it. "I'm afraid our good Ranger is... gone."

"Gone? You mean he got away?" Randy asked.

But Mark, sensing the pain in Lance's words, understood right away what the Dragon Master meant. "It's much more serious than that, isn't it?"

Lance nodded. "Yes..."

"Oh... ooooohh," Randy replied as he caught on to what they meant, pressing his lips together as he frowned. "Oh cripes..."

Lance nodded again, confirming their fears "When I stepped into the tower I found the Ranger lying in his bed. It looked like he had been dead for some time now –weeks at least. Scyther's Poké Ball was lying right next to him. He must've let Scyther out just before he passed so that he wouldn't be trapped in his ball, waiting for his master to let him out."

"My Charmeleon jumps out of his ball without me calling him all the time –I usually wake up in the morning to find him sleeping on me," Mark commented. "Couldn't Scyther have gotten out on his own?"

"He could, yes, but most Pokémon wait for their master's call before emerging –some will wait days if they have to," Lance returned. "Other times they will only come out if they sense their trainer is in danger. But if they do not hear their master or sense such danger, they will stay in there for days on end if they have to, and by the time they emerge..." He trailed off, letting his meaning sink in with Mark.

Mark cringed, realizing Lance was right. "I see your point."

"Yes," Lance replied. "Which is why it is imperative a trainer release or pass down their Pokémon if they suspect their time is drawing near."

"You think the Ranger knew he was going to die and that's why he let Scyther out?" Mark asked. "But what could have killed him?"

"I'm not sure; there did not appear to be sign of struggle so he wasn't attacked by a Wild Pokémon or a Poacher," replied Lance. "Until we know what the cause was, we can only speculate." He let out a sad sigh. "I will have to contact the authorities in Viridian City when we get back up to the League, and then a coroner will determine the cause of death. Until then, that's all we can do."

He then turned to Mark. "For now, it appears that Scyther's fate rests in your hands, Mark. When he destroyed his Poké Ball, he was no longer locked to it, essentially making him wild again. That is why I asked you to capture him; he's not used to living in the wild, and simply leaving him alone out here, eventually he might not be able to survive any longer."

Mark nodded in agreement. "I understand," he said. "But honestly, I never actually planned on capturing a Bug-type Pokémon... I really don't much care for them."

"Well his fate is up to you," Lance stated. "If the Ranger has a next of kin, by right Scyther should belong to them, but if he doesn't, well..." Lance frowned. "I ask only that you do what's best for Scyther; he's lost the most important being in his life, and that's a difficult thing for anyone, be they human or Pokémon."

Mark looked at the ball still clenched in his hand, awaiting when he would have to put it or one of his other Pokémon into storage to follow the six Pokémon limit –if he tried battling while in possession of a seventh Pokémon he'd be breaking the law. But that didn't mean he couldn't actually call Scyther out at that moment –recent changes to the law allowed trainers to possess a seventh Pokémon without consequence for up to a day as long as they did not try to use them in battle but after that twenty-four hour span of time, they had to be stored.

"Now, I believe it's time we return to the League," Lance stated. "There's nothing more we can do here."

"Agreed," Mark returned, shrinking down Scyther's Poké Ball and slipping it into the inner pocket of his vest, next to the holster that held his other Poké Balls.

"One question," Randy began. "How're we getting back up? That Scyther kinda grounded Skyclaw _and_ Dragonite."

"Well there's always the old-fashioned way," Lance returned. "Remember that trail I told you the Ranger used? We can use that; it's not far from here."

"You mean..." Randy began, and turned towards the cliff face leading up to the top of the Indigo Plateau. "You mean we're going to _climb_ back up?!"

"Without any other flying Pokémon, there is not much choice," Lance replied.

Mark let out a groan of his own. "Climbing a mountain twice in one day," he commented. "I should've just stayed topside and minded my own business..."

Lance laughed light-heartedly at Mark's comment. "For what it's worth I am actually glad you didn't," he stated. "It was only thanks to you we were finally able to solve this problem."

Mark smiled weakly at that. "I was glad to help then... I just wish my little 'investigation' could've led to something less..." He trailed off, looking up at the tower and shuddering. "Grim."

Lance's smile faded, and he nodded in agreement. "Yes... I too wish that." He said.

With that, the three began walking, Lance leading the way to the hidden path as only he had any idea of where it was. They left the tower behind, carrying with them the Scyther that had once belonged to the man stationed in that tower –a man whose fate yet remained unknown to them; he had died of unknown causes, and as of now, the only thing he had left behind was a Scyther, who despite the passing of his master had remained behind to watch over him, and continued protecting him even after his departure from this world.

Mark could not help but admire the fierce devotion of Scyther, but his heart stung for the poor Pokémon, for now he was all alone...


	9. Chapter 8

Mark woke with a start that morning, rising up in bed with a sharp gasp and quickly getting his bearings as to where he was; the room he was in was unfamiliar, and for a moment he began to wonder how it was he got there, or who had brought him, but when it all started coming back to him, he calmed down.

He was in one of the rooms at the League. Lance had invited him and Randy to stay overnight in the living quarters of the league terminal as his guests, in exchange for helping him subdue the renegade Scyther that had been stealing food from the League –a Scyther whose trainer had, unfortunately, departed from this world, leaving the poor Pokémon all alone with his future uncertain. Upon returning to the League, Lance had contacted the authorities in Viridian, leaving Scyther in Mark's care until they could contact the Ranger's family, to whom the Scyther would rightfully belong to once they were found.

Mark's dreams had been plagued with images no doubt created by that entire gruesome experience the day before... Mark was empathic towards his Pokémon; always, he could tell when they were upset, yet somehow it seemed like he was reliving Scyther's misery. In his dream, he had seen Vitesse, standing over a gravestone –a stone with _his_ name on it. He had died –at least in this dream, and he'd left his beloved Pokémon all alone without him. Yet, just as Scyther had for its master, Vitesse had refused to leave his side even with him gone, and she stayed there indefinitely, slowly withering away into...

He barely heard one of his Poké Balls wobbling around on the table next to him, and jumped when it popped open. He looked to his right to see Vitesse standing over him, a concerned look on her face. She had sensed Mark's distressed situation and come out of her ball on her own to check on him, worried for his well-being.

Mark gave her a weak smile, reaching behind her head and caressing the back of her neck. "I'm okay girl," he assured her. "Just a bad dream is all..."

She cooed softly, tilting her head at him and blinking her eyes with curiosity, clearly wanting to hear more even if she couldn't say it, but Mark shook his head. "It's nothing important," he returned "Dreams aren't real, and can't hurt us. Nothing to worry about."

She remained unconvinced, he could tell, but she capitulated and didn't press the subject further, stepping back to let Mark get up as he saw no reason to stay in bed any longer. He stretched his arms, standing up and looking at Vitesse again, once more feeling the need to reach out and rub her neck with his hand. "I hope I always do right by you, girl," he said. "You always have for me... but if there comes a time where I can't, just promise me you'll also do what's right for yourself and the others, okay?"

Once more that curious look; she didn't understand what her trainer was talking about, but he didn't really know how else to say it. He sighed and shook his head. "Ah, nevermind," he said, opting instead to just hug her. She clucked happily and returned his embrace, cooing when she felt his hand rubbing the feathers on her back, until they gently pulled apart.

With that, Mark turned his gaze to the dresser across from his bed, eyeing the Great Ball sitting atop it. He left Vitesse's side and wandered over to the ball, picking it up and looking at it. "Now _I_ need to do what's right for Scyther," he said, staring at it a moment longer before setting it down and looking at Vitesse again. "Can you watch the other Pokémon while I go get washed up?" He asked.

She nodded in confirmation, watching as Mark disappeared into the washroom and then sitting down on the bed to wait for him.

As Mark stood in the shower, feeling hot water running over his body, he began to think about what he would do that day. He still had yet to challenge Lance to a battle –the very thing he had come to the Kanto Pokémon League to do. The other day's events had just been such a distraction that it had skipped his mind completely, and now he could go back to thinking about how he would do it, but his mind only kept trailing back to Scyther and its well-being. He didn't understand why he cared so much; it's not like he was actually _keeping_ Scyther.

Once Mark felt he was done, he shut off the shower, stepped out and dried himself off with a towel before he put back on the sweat pants he'd been wearing, stepping back out into the bedroom to find Vitesse right where he'd left her. She looked up as he came out, but looked away again when she saw him heading for his day clothes which were hanging in the closet.

"So, Vitesse," Mark began once he was dressed. "Shall we find somewhere open and have a sparring match?"

She clucked in agreement, nodding her head to him.

With that, Mark gathered up his Pokémon –including Scyther, before he and Vitesse left the room. They followed the corridor to the front lobby area, where they proceeded outside to the front yard to have their spar, and to let Mark's Pokémon out for a bit of exercise themselves. Fang, Coal, Palm Tree, Siren and Tanker all emerged joyously from their Poké Balls feeling the cool morning air on their bodies, and while Mark and Vitesse got into position for their spar, they all stood at the side to watch them.

Unknown to Mark, Lance was also an early riser, and he had come outside to stretch his legs when he saw the activity going on below, arriving in time to see the training battle between Mark and his own Pokémon begin. They were doing a few warm-ups first, trading minor jabs and steadily escalating into a more intense spar, with both of them executing a remarkable display of technique between the two of them.

Mark successfully blocked two of Vitesse's punches before he struck back with a jab to her stomach; she huffed out a breath of air to absorb the punch, and then struck back with a hook to Mark's cheek that he narrowly ducked under to strike back with an uppercut that she easily avoided, and struck back with a roundhouse kick –not full strength of course, else she could've sent Mark soaring off of the plateau with but a single kick.

Mark ducked under the roundhouse kick. "Bad move, girl!" Mark barked, lunging forth and elbowing Vitesse in the flank with his left arm, bringing a pained squawk from her as she stepped back, rubbing her side where she had been hit. "Never try to roundhouse an enemy who's right up close; if they're inside the reach of your leg and manage to duck under it as I did, you won't recover fast enough to block their next attack."

She nodded in understanding, elevating her fists again to resume the match, this time taking the offensive with a series of swift punches and hooks, even an imitation of her Dual Chop attack for effect. Mark took a few strikes, trying to keep his guard up, but naturally a human, even one as trained as he was, couldn't match the speed of a Blaziken; Vitesse could outmaneuver him at every angle –he blocked high, she'd strike low; he blocked low, she would come back high, and eventually she faked him out with the look that she was doing a punch, only to drop down suddenly and take his legs out from under him with a kick, sending him falling onto his back.

"Oof!" He grunted.

Blinking the stars from his eyes, he looked up at Vitesse standing over him, and smiled when she reached down to offer her talon to him. He grasped it, and she hoisted him back up to her feet, clucking sequentially to him as if saying something.

He knew just what as well. "Right; a low kick is safer than a high one, because if it takes their legs out from under them, they can't counter-attack anyway," he said, and nodded in approval to her. "Good match, girl."

They heard hands clapping, and looked up to see Lance descending the stairs from the main terminal building, dressed in garb similar to what he'd been wearing the day before, including a cape that looked identical to the one Scyther had sliced in two. "A most impressive display of skill, from both of you!" He praised them, ceasing his applause as he reached the bottom step. "I've heard some Fighting-type Gym Leaders train with their Pokémon in sparring matches; it appears you follow their example, Mark."

"Actually, I was sparring with Vitesse long before I ever knew about that," Mark corrected, glancing at his Blaziken. "Mind you, most of the time she wins anyway."

"Scale of one to ten?" Lance asked.

"Probably a seven, in her favour."

Lance chuckled. "Still, for a human to spar on equal footing with a Pokémon is impressive in and of itself; you must be quite skilled. Where did you learn martial arts?"

"Took some classes in the city when I was about ten; practiced Karate and Judo for about four years," Mark replied. "I lived in the countryside on a farm so I was already pretty fit; seemed like a good idea at the time."

Lance nodded, as if satisfied, before moving on to a new subject. "So, how is your guest today?" He asked.

"Scyther?" Mark asked, earning another nod from Lance. "Well to be honest I haven't checked on him yet. I was waiting to hear the verdict from the Police until I decided what to do next."

"Ah yes, that," began Lance, his expression souring somewhat.

Mark's smile smoothed into a frown, seeing the look on Lance's face. "I take it you spoke to them?" He asked.

"I did, a short while ago," Lance explained. "Our ranger friend died two months ago; the coroner reported the cause to be fever. Apparently he had an infection in his right arm that developed and eventually took his life."

"He had an infection that serious and he didn't try calling for help?" Mark asked. "Why not?"

"Police found his radio had shorted out," Lance replied. "They could still hear transmissions from the other towers but could not send, and since the Rangers all have their own areas to watch over, none of them could go to check on him." His face turned to a scowl. "Apparently most of them thought he had quit and just left without telling anybody as it seemed they had a lot of incidents like that over the last year. Presumptuous fools."

Mark groaned. "So because of their negligence and his radio breaking... a man died and his Pokémon was left alone _and_ forced to steal to survive," he said. "I _sincerely_ hope those Rangers are punished for this."

"I will petition their superiors for just that, personally," Lance replied.

"Good," Mark returned, and let out a sigh. "Poor Scyther... a little bad luck and he lost everything."

"Indeed."

"What about the Ranger's family; any word?"

Lance frowned deeper at that. "Yes... but not the good kind," he replied. "Apparently the Ranger had only one family member –a daughter who lives in Lumiose City in the Kalos Region. They managed to contact her, but when she was asked about Scyther, she said she didn't want it."

"So he has no one at all?" Mark asked.

"Well, that's not entirely true," Lance replied, his expression lightening somewhat as he looked at Mark. "He _could_ have you."

"What am _I_ going to do with him?" Mark asked. "I believe I mentioned yesterday I _hate_ bugs."

"From a trainer's standpoint, Scyther could be a powerful ally for you," Lance began. "You saw how he fought yesterday –able to stand up even to your Blaziken despite her training; his speed and skill could be invaluable to your team."

"I've already got two speedsters," Mark pointed out, gesturing first to Vitesse, and then to Coal. "Why would I need a third?"

"Yours are both Fire-types, for one," Lance pointed out. "What would your answer be if you were to battle a Water-type or a Ground-type that could match them in speed?"

Mark opened his mouth to reply, something along the lines of pointing out he had beaten several Water-types before with Vitesse... but a Ground-type was something else –none of the Hoenn Gyms were ground-type gyms nor did any of the Elite Four use Ground-types themselves –she had effectively never battled a Ground-type at all, but as a Fire-type she had a type disadvantage and against a speedy Pokemon like Dugtrio or a powerhouse like Swampert, she'd have some difficulty. Coal would fare no better. Until he evolved, he too was vulnerable to Ground-types, and unlike Vitesse Coal had not battled Water-types before nor had any moves that were effective against them.

"If you want to challenge all of the greatest trainers in the world, you will need the best team you can build for each one," Lance stated. "And your current one may not always be up to the task. Having a Bug-type gives you a countermeasure against Dark or Psychic-types."

At that, Mark was suddenly reminded of Blue's Alakazam. Having Scyther against _that_ Pokémon would most definitely have been helpful; it would've been fast enough to close in to attack and actually possessed moves that would be quite effective against Alakazam. His combo with Coal and Fang had worked then, but it would not likely work a second time or against a more intuitive trainer who might expect such a trick.

Scyther _would_ be a good addition to the team... but would he want to be part of it? Mark had only hours before he would be forced to send Scyther into storage, and he needed that time with Scyther to try and help it. He narrowed his eyes, and looked at Lance. "I'm going to let him out; you might want to step back, just in case."

Lance nodded, tossing his cape slightly as he took a few steps back from Mark, but discreetly placed a hand on a Poké Ball hidden on his belt, just in case things took a turn for the worse.

Mark looked back at his other Pokémon, especially Vitesse who looked especially disconcerted with what her trainer was about to do. "Trust me, girl, please," he said. "And keep the others back. We don't want to aggravate this guy –he's been through a lot."

She let out a low, suspicious hum, but she agreed with her trainer, stepping back and motioning for the other Pokémon to keep back as well. Mark could see none of them were happy, but he needed to do this –to reach out to Scyther. He had to... there was no one else to do so now.

"Alright, Scyther," Mark said, holding out the Poké Ball and bracing himself. "Come on out!"

He opened the ball, and a bolt of white energy emerged, striking the ground in front of him and quickly taking shape, materializing into the form of Scyther. He appeared in a slouched position, eyes half-lidded and tired, as if he had not slept through the night. However, upon breathing in fresh air, he suddenly sprang into alertness, head swinging side-to-side to take in his surroundings before his eyes fell upon Mark. He snarled angrily, raising his scythe-blade arms.

"Easy, easy," Mark urged him, putting up his hands as a show of peace to the Scyther. _'His dedication to his old trainer is so strong, he's even resisting the Poké Ball's resocialization. I've never seen a Pokémon act like this after they're caught.'_

Scyther continued to growl, keeping his blades raised and ready to swipe at Mark if he moved any closer –of which he knew better than to try. Scyther wasn't in a cooperative mood, possibly even believing he'd been stolen from his trainer. Behind him, Mark could feel his other Pokémon beginning to get twitchy; he could feel Vitesse and Fang both watching intensely, ready to jump in if they though their trainer was in danger.

"Scyther," Mark began, making eye contact with the mantis-like Pokémon. Even though he knew he was putting himself at risk from this position, Scyther's reptilian-ish head somehow made it easier to Mark to keep his calm in Scyther's presence. "I know that you're upset right now; in pain, even," he carried on, speaking as softly as he could manage and fighting back the concern for his own life as he and Scyther stared each other down.

"But I'm here to help you," Mark stated. "To help you find a new start for yourself. I've come to realize how much you loved your old trainer, how much you still love them. That's why you still want to be there to protect them –to watch over them as they rest."

Scyther seemed to become less tense as Mark spoke, his arms lowering ever so slightly. Mark daringly moved forward, and realized his mistake too late as that tension returned immediately and Scyther swiped one of its arm blades at him; Mark felt burning hot pain explode across his arm, instinctively crying out and falling back onto his haunches, grabbing his arm where Scyther had slashed him. The cut wasn't deep, meant only as a warning, but it was enough to draw blood. Mark grit his teeth, inhaling sharply between them as he fought back the pain.

Vitesse shrieked angrily, and he heard his Blaziken take several steps forward after seeing Mark be stricken by Scyther. Mark called for her to stop, and went to grab Scyther's ball, intent on using it to contain the angry mantis Pokémon again, but just as he took aim to use the recall function, something stopped him, telling him that he couldn't give up yet... He may not have liked Bug-types, but if he stopped trying to get through to Scyther now, what would that make him? Worse, if this decision made him want to give up Scyther, did he really want to put him through the troubles of becoming used to another trainer?

He looked at Lance, seeing the Champion's fierce eyes eying him expectantly, waiting to see what he would do but saying nothing. He did not _need_ to say anything; Mark could read it in the expression on his face. If Mark did what he was thinking, what would that make him look like, here in front of Kanto's Champion?

He looked ahead again, and saw Scyther and Vitesse continuing to glare at each other. On Scyther's face he could see him faltering in his stance, shaky and off-balance. He was exhausted. Mark could only guess Scyther had spent a restless night in the Poké Ball he now held in his grasp, desperate to get back to his trainer and left unfed over the course of the night –something Mark had not even considered, out of fear that _this_ very thing would happen if he let Scyther out.

But it was too late to turn back... he _had_ to see this through. However much he hated Bug-types, Scyther was in his care and his responsibility now.

Vitesse and Scyther both shrieked at each other and she started to run forward, with Fang on on her heels; they were going to double-team Scyther, and would likely beat him to a pulp in his exhausted state if he didn't do something.

" _VItesse, stop!"_ Mark exploded, causing the Blaziken and Mightyena to freeze in their tracks at her trainer's tone, looking over her shoulder at him to find him back on his feet, holding his injured arm and glaring angrily at her. "I know you're just trying to protect me, but you're not helping!"

She squawked at him defiantly, looking back at Scyther, who had backed away out of reach and was hissing at her. "I know he hurt me, but he's just trying to protect himself, too!" Mark returned, and then spoke in a calmer tone. "Please, let me handle this."

Vitesse wanted to press the issue further; he could see it in her eyes, but she compliantly backed off as her trainer commanded, never taking her eyes off of Scyther. Fang growled, but he too stepped back, standing with her and waiting. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark could see Lance had a Poké Ball in his hand as well, and was prepared to intervene if Scyther continued to act violently.

Mark stepped forward again, ignoring the pain in his arm as he once more proceeded to confront Scyther. Things were at their most dangerous now; Scyther was full of adrenaline from being provoked by Vitesse, and that was all that was keeping him from collapsing from his fatigue. Mark had to calm him down, somehow.

"Scyther," Mark began, this time keeping a fair distance from him, ignoring his bleeding arm from when Scyther had cut him before. "Please, believe me; I'm only trying to help you."

Scyther shrieked at Mark as if in some retort, but he hadn't come to understand the mantis Pokémon enough to know what it was trying to say, so he made a guess on what he felt he might say in the same situation. "I know you don't think you want my help; that you're doing just fine on your own," Mark began. "But your trainer –if I know Pokémon trainers as much as I hope I do, wouldn't want this for you; he wouldn't want you angry and alone.

"You loved him, I get that," Mark carried on. "As much as I love my Pokémon, and as much as I hope they do me. I hope to always do what's right for them," he said as he looked back at his Pokémon, particularly at Vitesse, who now seemed to realize what Mark had been saying to her back at the room, especially with his next words. "And I'd expect –no... I'd hope, that they would do the same for themselves were I not around."

Mark turned back to Scyther, noting that he was no longer growling. He seemed deep in thought, trying to make sense of everything Mark was telling him and continuing to listen. "I didn't know your trainer; I won't pretend I know anything about him or how he shared such a strong bond with you. But I know that when he realized what was happening to him, he would have given anything to make sure that you were taken care of. That is why he let you out, when he realized he couldn't call for help; so that you could _find_ help –not for himself, but for you. Because you meant more to him than his own health."

Mark dared to move a little closer, and this time Scyther did not lash out, even when Mark was only arm's reach away. "I know I can't replace your former trainer," he said. "If you would be willing to give me a chance, I would be willing to try, in honour of his memory." He continued meeting Scyther's gaze. "But all that anger and sadness you have bottled up in you, you need to let it go... this isn't what he would want for you. And neither do I; even if you aren't originally my Pokémon, I'm here to help you through what you've suffered."

A rumble elicited from Scyther's half-open mouth, his face scrunching up slightly, and now Mark knew that his words had gotten through. Scyther's arms fell slack to the ground, his head lowering. And that is when Mark saw the tears falling from Scyther's eyes, rolling down to the bridge of his reptilian-like snout to drip down to the ground below. Mark still didn't want to try and approach him yet, able to see the inner turmoil he was suffering. It wasn't until Mark saw Scyther's foot inching forward slowly that he knew that the Pokémon was willing to open up to him...

Mark scooted just a little closer to Scyther as he heard him sobbing –or at least what he felt was a Scyther's equivilant to it, inhaling sharply with a slight, almost chime-like sound heard from its throat. When Mark slowly placed his hands onto Scyther's shoulders, the mantis-like Pokémon leaned into him, and cried hard into his chest, the flats of his blade arms at his sides as he let out all of his pain into this complete stranger who sought to comfort him.

Mark, at first with some reluctance, held Scyther, not knowing what to expect when his hands rested on his back below the wings of the bug-type. He had thought the texture of its skin might have been slimy and digusting –something repulsive as he often felt about Bug-type Pokémon, but surprisingly, Scyther's skin was smooth and almost glassy in texture with a soft carapace rather than a hairy or rugged exterior, and that reptilian-style face, able to show expression where other Bug-types couldn't, forced all of Mark's revulsion from him and he embraced Scyther gently.

"You're not alone, Scyther," Mark said softly to him. "And I promise to take care of you."

Off to the side, Lance watched with a mixed expression of gratitude and amazement at how Mark had been able to win Scyther's trust so quickly; moments ago it had tried to cut his arm off, and yet now there it was, seeking his comfort like a child to its parent. He returned the Poké Ball clenched in his hand back to the holster beneath his cape, and allowed a small smile to stretch across his face, all while Mark continued to comfort his new companion.

Scyther's fatigue caught up to him finally as he let out all of his emotions in Mark's embrace, and after what felt like a long time, Mark was suddenly supporting the Pokémon with his body. Scyther had drifted off to sleep in his grasp. Mark did not even realize it until he heard Scyther's soft breathing, and suddenly became aware of a painful cramp in the knee he was currently using to hold himself up.

Slowly and subtly, Mark raised Scyther's ball, gently tapping his shoulder with the sphere and recalling him back inside where he could sleep peacefully. Mark stared at the ball thoughtfully, wondering what he should do next; he had to store Scyther soon –or at least store one of his other Pokémon in the meantime. He was loathe to do so, but he didn't feel right to put Scyther away so soon; he had only just earned its trust, and needed to spend more time with him –get him used to everyone else, and let them get used to him too.

With a grunt, Mark stood up, shaking the cramp from his leg and turning back to his team, wondering who he could do without for a while until he heard Lance speak his name. He turned to the Dragon Master, and saw the proud look on his face. "That was a great thing you did," he stated. "Pushing aside your aversion to Bug-types, in order to help one that was in pain."

"Just don't ask me to do it for a Beedrill," Mark returned. _"Never_ a Beedrill."

"Agreed," Lance returned, laughing light-heartedly. "So... what will you do now? Are you going to store him?"

"I shouldn't, at least not yet," Mark returned. "He still needs some time to get used to me and the others. But he's fallen asleep, and now I've only got a few hours before I have to store him or I'll get slapped with a fine."

"You could put away one of your other Pokémon until then, can you not?" Lance asked.

Mark was amused by how Lance was actually inquiring with him the very things he had just been thinking about less than a minute ago, as if the Dragon Master had been reading his mind. "And in that lies the hard part," Mark stated. "Who can I do without?"

"What about your Charmeleon?" Lance asked. "You already have a Fire-type with you."

"Coal would _never_ forgive me if I stored him," Mark returned. "I was one of the first things he saw when he hatched from his egg and he hasn't left my side since. And Vitesse or Fang are out of the question; I feel like I couldn't be without them for even a moment."

Lance chuckled again, rubbing his eyes for a few seconds. "A classic case of spending _too much_ time with the same Pokémon; there are some you just can't be parted from." He commented.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Well, you should have plenty of time yet; the limit is twenty-four hours and it was fairly late when you caught him yesterday so there should be no concerns," Lance assured him.

"Yeah, true. As long as he doesn't sleep too late I might be able to get a bit more time with him."

"Which brings me to my next request," Lance began, bringing Mark's attention back to him.

"Request?"

"When you came here to the Indigo Plateau, you were here to challenge me, as you told me yesterday," Lance began. "Well, let me be the one to challenge _you_ instead."

"Really?" Mark asked, surprised.

"I'd say after everything you've done to help Scyther, and for assisting the League in solving its 'robbery' problem, I owe it to you to give you the battle you came here for," Lance stated, reaching up and clapping Mark on the shoulder. "And after seeing how your Blaziken fights, I'm quite eager to see how you lead your Pokémon in battle. So, what do you say?"

Mark smiled broadly, meeting Lance's gaze and nodding to him. "I gladly accept your challenge, Lance," he returned.

"Then, when you are ready, come see me inside in the Champion's arena at the far end of the building. I will let the others know you are coming and will use that time to prepare for our battle."

Mark nodded again. "I'll be there soon."

"Take as long as you need," Lance returned, before turning and heading back towards the League building, his long black cape flowing behind him in the light wind as he proceeded. "I'll be waiting. And, don't forget to see our on-site doctor about your arm; you might need stitches."

Mark watched after Lance as he returned to the League building, feeling a burning heat welling up within himself as he anticipated the imminent battle between himself and Lance the Dragon Master –the Champion of Kanto for half a decade at least, nearly undefeated in battle throughout his career. The kind of opponent Mark had begun his journey for –the one he longed to face, to test his skills against and find his place in the ever-expanding world of Pokémon and Trainers.

"I will be ready for you," Mark said in a low tone as Lance disappeared back inside.

* * *

A little later, Mark felt Scyther stirring in his Poké Ball again, and let him out for more fresh air, as their chance to get acquainted had been cut somewhat short by Scyther falling asleep. Mark used that opportunity to begin introducing Scyther to the rest of the team; he and Vitesse still regarded each other with suspicion but the others seemed to accept him –especially Coal, who actually raced Scyther around the Plateau. Of course Scyther was naturally faster, being able to fly across the ground like a miniature missile thanks to his speed and wings.

Later on, Mark was joined by Randy, finally rousing himself from his sleep and heading outside for a breath of fresh air when he spotted Mark watching his Pokémon play and exercise in the yard. He seemed surprised to find Scyther out there, spending time with the others and getting acquainted with them. He called a hello to Mark to announce his approach. "Morning!"

"Morning, Randy," Mark called back.

"I see you and Scyther seem to be getting along?" Randy asked.

"Well mostly," Mark replied, turning fully to Randy. "it was a bit of a..."

" _Holy shit!_ " Randy suddenly exploded, pointing at Mark's arm. "You're freakin' bleeding, man!"

Mark looked at his arm, remembering the laceration left by Scyther when he had lashed out at the trainer. He'd since bandaged the wound with some first aid supplies in his knapsack but hadn't been to see the League's on-site medic yet, having wanted to use every moment he could to see to Scyther and get as much time with him as possible.

"Oh, right; I was getting to that," Mark stated.

"Did Scyther do that to you?" Randy asked.

"He was just protecting himself, Randy," Mark returned. "He didn't know my intentions, but my only concern is getting him settled in with my team."

"With your team?" Randy repeated in question. "I thought he was going to the Ranger's family?"

Mark frowned. "Apparently, they don't want him."

"Are you freakin' kidding me?" Randy asked in a gawking manner.

"His only family apparently is a daughter in Kalos, and she didn't want Scyther," Mark replied. "I don't know why, but either way he became my responsibility." Mark turned to look at Scyther, watching him being chased by Coal around the yard some more. "And Lance talked me into keeping him."

"I thought you didn't like Bug-types?" Randy reminded.

"Yeah I know; little contradictory, isn't it?" Mark asked. "I'm still scared to death of Beedrill but Scyther... well, maybe not so bad. After all it only looks bug-like from the neck-down. I just don't feel as averse to him as I do other bugs –especially the ones that _sting._ "

"Could be a sign you're getting over your fears," suggested Randy.

"I'm not going to hold my breath about _that_ one," Mark returned. "I hear buzzing and I'm still running for the nearest faraway place."

Randy snickered at that. "If you say so." He then looked in Scyther's direction. "So what can he do; have you tested him yet?"

"Not yet, no; still don't know what attacks he knows," Mark replied. "And I think I should give him a little more healing time before I start testing him."

"Yeah, good point."

"He's going to need a name too," Mark stated.

"You got something in mind?"

"Not yet, but I'll come up with something once I get a better read on his fighting skills. While I'm at it, I'll also need to make sure he likes it too."

"Good on you," Randy returned, and after a brief pause, posed the next question. "So, did you ask Lance for a battle yet?"

"Actually, he asked _me_ if you can believe it."

Randy looked at him with an intrigued expression. "Serious?" He asked.

"It's not what it sounds like," Mark returned. "He knew it was what I had come here for, and after everything that happened yesterday I guess he felt he'd grant me the battle as a favour. We're due to battle this afternoon, as soon as I've had enough time with Scyther and store him for a while."

"Freakin' sweet," returned Randy. "I better go make sure my camera's charged," he added before spinning on his heel and sprinting back towards the League building.

"You do that."

* * *

Hours later that same day, it was time for Mark to get ready for his battle with Lance. He let Scyther know it was time; at first he was reluctant to be put into storage but after Mark explained to him why it was necessary –basically by telling him the same things he had told Randy, Scyther understood the reason and went into storage without further complaint. Before returning him to his Poké Ball Mark promised to spend more time with Scyther as soon as possible.

With that done, he was on his way to the champion's battle arena –nearly forgetting to stop by the on-site doctor's office to get his arm checked and properly dressed- accompanied by Randy and their guide –none other than Koga himself, who led them through the various rooms that each member of the Elite Four would normally be awaiting challengers. But today was a special case, and instead of Mark battling his way through the Elite Four, he was bypassing them and heading straight for Lance for an unofficial match.

The fourth chamber was a strange one; as soon as they exited the third arena they entered a corridor that branched off to the left, passing a few doors on the way around a bend and then in a U-turn leading back around to the fourth and last chamber of the Elite Four. Once through the doors there, Koga took his leave of them, and with that Mark was finally in the Champion's hall, and there waiting for him was his opponent.

Lance stood at the far end of the huge, octagonal chamber that would serve as their battle arena, once more carrying that look that made Mark feeling like he was staring at a dragon in human form –those sharp, predatory eyes staring across the room at him, like a hawk watching a rabbit and waiting for its opportunity to strike. But Mark was not about to be that rabbit. Steeling himself, he stepped forward onto the tilework of the arena, while Randy stayed back to begin setting up his camera, deploying the tripod for it and waiting to hit the record button when the battle began.

"You've arrived," Lance stated. "I've been looking forward to this, Mark."

"So have I, Lance," Mark returned. "I hope you're ready."

"I'm am _quite_ ready," Lance replied. "Today, my friend, I will show you the true might of Dragon Pokémon." He grabbed the edges of his cape, throwing out his arms to flip it open like a pair of wings. As his arms were unveiled, Mark saw that the dragon master was already holding a Poké Ball in right hand, and had made his first choice. "Let the battle commence!"

Mark widened his stance, reaching into his vest and selecting his first Pokémon as well as Lance tossed the ball in his hand forward, releasing the Pokémon within. From the confines of the ball emerged a Dragonite –just as Mark had predicted when he had read up on Lance. He was leading with one of his signature Pokémon to gauge the strength of his adversary. The round-nosed, orange-bodied dragon let out a long, howling cry towards the ceiling, spreading its oddly small wings out as it announced its readiness for battle.

"Vitesse, you're on!" Mark called, throwing the ball in his hand forward. The Blaziken emerged with a shrill cry of her own, somersaulting through the air before landing on both feet on the floor, flames already erupting from around her wrists, burning brightly as she faced Dragonite.

"This will be my first battle with another Champion in years!" Lance declared excitedly. "Even if you no longer hold the title, I expect this to be one I will remember for a long time!"

"You won't be disappointed, Lance," Mark promised.

 _"_ _Chaaaa!"_ Vitesse agreed with her trainer, shifting to a combat-ready stance.

"Such passion; your Blaziken will make a fine opponent," Lance stated. "Let's begin! Dragonite, attack with Aqua Tail!"

Dragonite spread its wings out wide, letting out a low, guttural growl and soaring at Vitesse as blue energy enveloped its tail. It soared at her directly, swinging itself around to attack with its tail, but she jumped back to avoid it –surprisingly easily, Mark noted.

Mark was already getting a sense of what this Dragonite was like, but before he could begin forming his hypothesis, he needed to go on the offensive and further gauge his adversary. "Vitesse, jump and Thunderpunch!"

Dragonite attacked again with Aqua Tail, but Vitesse sprang over it, and then delivered a punishing left hook to its fast from above with an electrically charged fist. Dragonite yelped, reeling from the punch, and before he could fully shake it off, she landed back on her feet and followed it up with another one in the form of an uppercut to his chin, and still was able to dodge a retaliatory Aqua Tail by back-flipping away.

"She's fast!" Lance exclaimed.

"You haven't seen anything yet!" Mark returned. "Vitesse, Bulk-Up!"

The Blaziken huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and channeling her energy into her limbs, spreading them out again as her body swelled with strength. But Lance had such a move of his own.

"Two can play at that game," the Dragon Master stated. "Dragonite; Dragon Dance!"

Dragonite hummed loudly as it spread its wings again, spinning himself as he rose up into the air before flying in a gentle figure-eight pattern and landing once more, a red glow emanating from his flesh, which then shifted to a bluish one and finally faded altogether. When it abated, his body had seemingly become a little sleeker, but his limbs were still thick with muscle.

The gears in Mark's brain were turning, analyzing the scenario. _'This Dragonite has good endurance –it took those Thunderpunches and recovered pretty quickly. Anything that can take a hit like that is something that's been developing its tolerance to a direct hit. And now, he's upping its speed and power with Dragon Dance, plus it knows Aqua Tail –I wager that's for dealing with Rock-types since Dragonite's vulnerable to them and this one seems limited to Physical attacks. Now by increasing its attack and speed, it'd have a better shot at taking down said Rock-types, or in this case, a speedy Fire-type.'_

It was still too early to give a conclusive hypothesis about his opponent, and the battle was still on. Now Dragonite was faster –as shown when it raced across the battlefield to rush at Vitesse, forcing her to somersault away to avoid yet another Aqua Tail, but Dragonite persisted, and finally Lance changed his attack choice. "Tailwind, and then Aerial Ace!"

Dragonite flew at Vitesse, before banking up suddenly and throwing a gust of wind in Vitesse's face, strong enough to make her flinch and giving Dragonite the opportunity to somersault backwards and plunge at her from an angle, slamming into her with all of its body weight and sending her hurtling through the air. She couldn't adjust her fall on account of the Tailwind, and landed on her back with a jarring thud against the stone floor.

"Aqua Tail!" Lance called.

Dragonite soared at Vitesse again, folding in his wings and front-flipping with his tail emitting the blue glow again. Vitesse recovered in just the nick of time and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the slamming tail that split the stonework where she had been seconds before, springing back to her feet and hearing her trainer's next command.

"Thunderpunch again!"

She lunged, and delivered a nasty left-hook to Dragonite's jaw, shocking it with the electric-charged fist, but much to Mark's dismay, Dragonite punched back, driving his fist into Vitesse's chest, forcing a wheeze of air from her lungs and nearly doubling her over from the sheer force of the hit.

 _'_ _Thunderpunch isn't Paralyzing it, and now she's wide open!'_ "Vitesse, get out of there!" Mark called.

"Dragon Rush!"

Dragonite's body seemed to explode with a blue energy that engulfed it whole, and it soared at Vitesse again just as she was standing up, Dragonite's head slamming right into her gut and carrying her along with him as he flew into the air, with her clawing at his back for a grip despite her pain.

Suddenly Mark had an idea. "Vitesse, use Thunderpunch on his wings!" He called at the top of his lungs.

Once more charging her fists with electricity, she raised her arms and brought them down onto the joints of Dragonite's wings, and with the delivery of the jolt, Dragonite's wings seized; they were suddenly dropping out of the air. Dragonite released his hold on Vitesse, flailing with a howl of fright as the ground came up fast, while she lunged to the side to get out from underneath him so that she would not get crushed under his weight when he reached the ground. He landed on his front, but she managed to catch herself on her hands and feet to break her fall.

Dragonite skidded to a halt along the floor, finally stopping at the edge of the battlefield and letting out a long groan. He spent the next moment trying to get back up, pushing himself up on his arms, but he staggered again and fell back onto his stomach and groaned again in defeat.

"Dragonite, return," Lance said, a disappointed tone in his voice as he recalled his Pokémon back to its ball where it could rest for a while until he took it to the Pokémon Center for proper recuperation. "Well done old friend," he muttered to the ball before drawing his arm back into his cape to return the ball to its proper placement and retrieve the next one.

"Vitesse, come back," Mark called to his Blaziken, urging her to return to his side. She did so, staggering over to him with one hand on her gut where Dragonite had rammed into her. Mark turned from her as she neared, reaching down into his knapsack to fish out a couple of Sitrus Berries, which he offered to her. "Here; munch on these and get your strength back. One of the others will take it from here for now."

She nodded to her trainer, holding out her talon for the berries and taking them, walking around behind Mark and sitting down on the floor as she ate the berries, letting Mark turn his attention back to his opponent.

"I'm impressed," Lance called. "Your Pokémon has quite the fortitude to take all those hits from my Dragonite and yet still manage to fight on."

"I'm often told she's as stubborn as I am," Mark commented with a light-hearted laugh. "But your Dragonite surprised me with that Tailwind; the perfect move for countering speedy Pokémon. Did you somehow know I was going to start with my fastest?"

"Well, yes and no," Lance admitted. "You see, I'm aware most trainers think that my focus on Dragon Pokémon means I focus solely on their strength, and pure reliance on strength is often overcome by speed."

"Amen to that!" Randy chimed in.

"So," Lance went on. "I trained one of my Dragonite to be defensive, as history has shown a solid defense is the answer to superior speed, and therefore my Dragonite could hold out long enough to turn the tide."

"Just as I thought," Mark stated. "You have more than one Dragonite; it stands to reason you'd train each one differently."

"That is correct," Lance replied. "And after seeing your Blaziken stand up to Scyther yesterday I knew she would be a swift adversary, so I chose my defensive Dragonite for the battle. I did not actually expect you to start with her though."

"Normally I don't," Mark admitted, looking back at Vitesse. "She's the heart of my team, and my ace in the hole. When I found out you'd start with Dragonite though, I knew she was the only one who'd stand a chance against him."

Lance's smile lessened. "Found out?" He echoed. "You have been studying me?"

"I find that entering a battle with a bit of knowledge is a good way to tip the scales," Mark returned. "I did some check on your history, and took it from there."

"I see," Lance returned. "Very well; I shall test you to see how much you learned." Once more, the dramatic emergence of his arm from beneath his cape, holding another Poké Ball in his hand. "And this shall do nicely, I feel; I will use one of my _own_ Hoenn Pokémon."

Mark's expression turned to one of questioning; he watched as Lance threw the ball forward, calling out his chosen Pokémon. What emerged from the ball was a slightly insectoid-looking creature with a sleek-figured body of lime green, with some darker highlights at the antenna-like horns atop its head and forming in rings around its tail as well as its thighs. Its eyes were covered by a pair of red lenses, and it had sleek, green wings with a red outline, as well as three matching points on the end of its tail. It at first appeared in the air, but landed on its feet after appearing from its Poké Ball, staring at Mark though the protective red lenses over its eyes.

"A Flygon," Mark stated. He saw Flygon many times from where he lived; his house was right near the very desert that they made their home; a few times he'd thought about catching one himself but saw no reason for it back then. Still, he'd battled enough of them he knew what to expect; Flygon were swift and had good striking power, and possessed the Levitate ability which made them immune to Ground-type attacks, just as their own natural Ground-typing made them immune to Electric-type attacks and resistant to Poison-type as well.

 _'_ _Greatest weakness for this type-combination is Ice, so I can use Fang or Siren,'_ thought Mark. _'But Fang can't fly and might not be able to keep up with Flygon, while Siren has little Defense –a solid hit might knock her out. So, whoever I use, I need to make sure I don't make any mistakes.'_ He narrowed his eyes. _'I better keep Fang aside for now, and use him if Lance has any ground-bound dragons.'_

Having made his choice, he selected Siren's Poké Ball. "Okay girl, let's go!" He called as he threw the ball out onto the field, and the Milotic emerged, bursting forth from the ball and materializing on the field in a coiled up position. She raised her head and elicited a long, shrill cry as she tossed her head back.

Lance's eyes widened at the sight of Siren, awestricken by the beauty of the serpentine Pokémon. "A Milotic," he said. "I have not seen one of those since the Pokémon World Championships in the possession of Cynthia."

"Who's Cynthia?" Mark asked.

"The now former Champion of the Sinnoh Region," Lance replied. "One of her Pokémon was Milotic, and ever since I first saw it, I have admired its divine elegance. I've wanted to catch one for myself, but I never got the chance to ask her where to find one -I know it's in Hoenn but not where."

Mark smiled. "After the battle, I'll tell you," he promised. "But for now, let's get back to it!"

"Very well!" Lance agreed, grabbing the edges of his cape and throwing it out like a pair of wings. "Take flight, my dragon!"

 _'_ _Got a flare for drama, this guy,'_ Mark thought, arching an eyebrow at the display, but regaining his focus as Flygon screeched and took to the air, hovering above its starting area and waiting for its first attack command. "Siren, get ready; use Aqua Ring!"

At Mark's command, a veil of water began to coat Siren's body, flowing over her smooth scales and encompassing her form before seemingly melding to her skin and giving her a shiny exterior. After that, Mark gave her next command. "Water Pulse!"

Opening her mouth wide a sphere of water formed in front of her face, and she shot said sphere at Flygon; it banked away from her attack, correcting its flight pattern and rushing at her as Lance issued his own command, having waited for just this moment where Siren had left herself open for a counterstrike. "Dragon Claw!"

Flygon drew back its arms, green energy forming at the ends of them in the shape of three-fingered claws as it flew towards Siren. It was fast; it closed the distance between them within seconds, and swiped its deadly claws at the Milotic. She ducked under the first claw swipe, but the second one caught her only the back as Flygon flew past; she squealed in pain but quickly shook it off, before turning and firing a second Water Pulse.

Unlike the first Water Pulse, this one hit home, striking Flygon square in the back as it started to circle around again, knocking it off balance and causing it to crash into the ground; the combined impact of Water Pulse and the crash dazed the Pokémon, and it was unable to react to the next attack Mark ordered.

"Blizzard!" Mark called.

Siren inhaled sharply, a cool mist seeping from the edges of her mouth as she conjured the attack, and with a powerful exhale, she unleashed a cone of ice and snow that barraged Flygon. The combined weakness to Ice-type that both Dragon and Ground-type Pokémon shared forced Flygon to endure serious damage from it, and by the time it was all over, there were fragments of Ice on his wings, and he was unable to fly. It struggled to stay on its feet, but was shaky and barely holding up; both trainers could easily see that it could not continue this battle in such a state.

Lance was dismayed by the swift defeat of his Dragon; Mark had chosen his first Pokémon well even though Siren was vulnerable to physical attacks. Her choice of attacks made up for that, though; Lance recalled Flygon to its Poké Ball, not wanting to push him when he was in such a state. "Impressive," he complimented Mark.

"Thanks," Mark returned. "And good job, Siren; that was perfect."

The Milotic cooed back at her trainer in return, as if to thank him for his compliment.

"Very well then; it seems I will need to step up a little more," Lance stated as he reached for his next Poké Ball. "What I have here is a relatively new Pokémon I caught when visiting the Kalos Region, and I have spent months training and evolving it."

 _'_ _Uh oh... my book didn't show any Pokémon_ _from Kalos in Lance's possession,'_ Mark thought. ' _What's he bringing out?'_

"Come forth, Goodra!" Lance called, tossing the ball forward to reveal his next Pokémon.

The figure that formed from the confines of the ball was a tall, pudgy, bipedal Pokémon with pale colouring, eliciting a rather wet, bubbly sound at the same time as it growled, as if gargling on water while letting out its cry. The creature's ventral portion, from the neck down to between the legs and to the end of the tail was lavender in colour, with green spots along the sides of the face and tail. It had two pale green eyes that sported a rather friendly look about them, and growing from the back of its head were two long... horns? Mark wasn't sure what to call them –they almost looked like tails growing from the back of its head, given that they moved when the Pokémon itself did too.

"So that's a Goodra," Mark commented. "First time I've ever seen one. I have to say it looks rather... gentle, at first glance."

"Goodra _are_ very gentle," Lance clarified. "Just like Dragonite they are docile and friendly creatures, preferring a peaceful lifestyle." His expression hardened. "But, just like Dragonite, they are still very capable combatants."

"He's right, Mark!" Randy called. "Goodra are classed as Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon; that goopy lizard's very powerful!"

Mark looked back at Randy briefly, and then to Siren; she turned her head slightly to meet her trainer's gaze, eyeing him expectantly before they nodded to each other in a 'we got this' sort of way, and then both turned to look at Goodra again.

"Let's go!" Mark bellowed.

"Very well!" Lance returned. "Goodra, use Muddy Water!"

Goodra gargled loudly as it threw up its stubby arms, a pillar of water erupting around it in the process. The water was discoloured and mixed with copious amounts of dirt, giving it a brown colour. It rushed at Siren like a mini-tsunami, too fast for Siren to dodge. She braced herself for it, rather than try to stop it, and felt it wash over her, covering her in filthy water and making her shake her head in disgust –she never was one for getting dirty, Mark mused. She always preferred swimming in clean, cool water.

It was when he saw her shaking her head around and wiping her eyes with her fan-like tail that Mark realized why Lance had used a water-type attack against her; it barely caused her any real harm, but the mud had gotten into her eyes, half-blinding her. He was trying to prevent Mark from using Blizzard again; the attack itself was already hard to hit with, but without her sight, Siren wouldn't be able to land it again.

But Mark only grinned. "Nice try, Lance," Mark called. "But your plan's about to backfire!" Mark pointed towards Goodra. "Siren, Disarming Voice!"

Siren held her eyes open half-lidded, and then threw back her head as she unleashed a high-pitched, yet oddly musical cry into the room, soundwaves erupting all around her and kicking up dust as she aimed her melodic voice at Goodra, barraging it with the attack. Goodra flailed its arms as it was hit, nearly falling off of its feet and stumbling backward.

 _'_ _Perfect hit,'_ Mark thought, confidently. _'When Muddy Water blinded Siren it triggered her Competitive Ability, raising her attack power; now even a weak move like Disarming Voice hits hard.'_

His confidence ebbed when he saw Goodra stand as tall as it had before, as if it had barely even been hurt. "The hell?!" Mark demanded.

"You will need something much stronger than that to defeat Goodra!" Lance declared, grinning broadly before issuing his next command. "Power Whip!"

Goodra growled and rotated its upper body all about, tossing the two slimy horns growing from the back of its head before it threw its head forward, and at that second the two horns extended, growing out all the way towards Siren and swinging at her; she narrowly dodged the first, which struck the ground with such a snap of force that Mark actually blinked even though he was nowhere near it, but because she was still blinded by the mud in her eyes she couldn't see the second horn lashing at her, and it landed right in the middle of her back, making her rear back and shriek with pain from the strike.

"Siren! Use Recover!" Mark called.

"Oh no you don't!" Lance stated. "Goodra, Slam!"

Just as Siren tried to curl up to heal herself, the long, gooey horns of Goodra, which were still stretched out over her, wrapped around her body and lifted her up into the air before she could start healing. She thrashed, trying to slip out of Goodra's grasp, but despite its slimy body it had a firm grip, throwing her around in circles before Goodra threw its head forward again and brought her down with bone-jarring force.

When the dust cloud blanketing her point of impact cleared, she was laying prone, her elongated body stretched across the stonework and her eyes shut. Goodra had knocked her out cold.

"Damn it..." Mark cursed under his breath, reaching for Siren's Poké Ball and recalling her. "Good try, girl," he said as she was recalled back into the ball to be switched out.

"Your Milotic is impressive," Lance stated. "But my Goodra will not fall so easily."

 _'_ _We'll see about that,'_ Mark thought, before he looked back at Vitesse. "What do you think, girl; can you go a second round?"

Vitesse nodded her head in confirmation to her trainer. The Sitrus Berries had done their job to re-energize her, and the two matches in her absence allowed her to get her second wind –she was ready to fight again. Mark stepped aside to let her stride out onto the field. _'Goodra's got good special defense and some ranged game with that Power Whip and Muddy Water. Plus, those appendages on its head can be used like long grasping arms for a Slam attack. All in all it seems focused on keeping its enemies at a distance, which could mean it doesn't have a strong Defense and seems pretty slow. If Vitesse can close in and land a good solid hit that might do the trick.'_

"So your Blaziken again, is it?" Lance asked, narrowing his eyes. He was too far away to be sure, but Mark was certain he could see a small smirk creeping across Lance's face. "Very well; I will remain with Goodra for now."

Mark didn't like that look on Lance's face, or that tone; he was being subtle about it but Mark knew he was up to something. Unfortunately, he couldn't be sure what; he would just have to carry on, and home he would be ready for whatever Lance had planned, and the battle was now to begin.

 _'_ _Better power up, just in case,'_ thought Mark. "Vitesse, Bulk-up!"

The Blaziken carried out the command, using her energy focused into her limbs to strengthen herself, but Lance, apparently of the same mind, gave Goodra a similar command. "Acid Armour," he said. In response, Goodra let out another long, gargling growl as its body seemed to liquefy to a thinner consistency than it already was, as if it were melting, yet it remained on its feet and stood fast as Mark ordered Vitesse on the attack.

"Low Sweep!"

Vitesse charged, striding across the battlefield towards Goodra while it was still using Acid Armour to attack before it could do anything else. Goodra either did not have time to react or did not try, for it remained in place even as Vitesse neared. It did stumble though, when Vitesse's leg swept across its knees, and then Mark ordered the next attack. "Dual Chop!"

Using the momentum of her kick, Vitesse spun, extending her arms as they glowed a lavender colour, followed by her delivering two knife-hand to Goodra's slimy body –one to the face, the other to the neck. Both times, she was splattered with slime from Goodra's body, and though the unusual Pokémon seemed hurt by this onslaught, it stood its ground still.

Mark realized too late what was happening; Lance had _let_ Goodra take that. He'd used Acid Armour first to soften its body and reduce the impact of Vitesse's attack, and then issued no other commands to it. None he _heard_ at least. What if Lance had trained Goodra to use some other command in chain with Acid Armour...

The realization struck him like a hammer hitting a bell.

 _'_ _Shit!'_ He cursed in his mind. "Vitesse, get away!"

"Too late!" bellowed Lance. " _Now_ Goodra!"

The slimy dragon's eyes, previously shut while taking hits from Vitesse, shot open, and then it swung its head at her. She had been moving back, but she was too slow, and Goodra's attack hit home, slamming her with both of its horns with the force of a wrecking ball, sending her flying through the air until she hit the wall above Mark's head, showering him with broken chunks of stone –not to mention her when she fell back to the ground and landed on him. He managed to correct himself in time to catch her, but the awkward angle sent both of them to the floor, nearly knocking the wind out of Mark's lungs in the process.

Randy, having watched the course of Vitesse's rather short battle with Goodra, was left wondering what happened until he saw Mark sit up and check on Vitesse, only to find she had been knocked out cold, in _one_ attack. Goodra had only stricken her once, but had taken two attacks himself –and at that he knew what Mark had been panicking about after Vitesse's successful execution of Dual Chop.

"Bide," Randy whispered. "Goodra was using Bide..."

He was correct; Mark had deduced this himself when he realized Goodra was not even trying to dodge or defend against Vitesse's attacks. Lance had trained Goodra to chain Bide with Acid Armour –and possibly other defensive moves- in order to bait speedy opponents into a trap, coming too close to get out of the way in time when Goodra struck back.

Mark looked at Lance, feeling both impressed and frustrated by how he had walked right into that crushing defeat that he had set up. _'They don't call this guy 'Dragon Master' for nothing.'_ He reminded himself as he got out from under Vitesse, kneeling at her side and checking her. Unfortunately, as with Siren, she too had been knocked unconscious by Goodra's attack, and could no longer continue the battle. With a defeated sigh, Mark picked out Vitesse's Poké Ball and recalled her to let her rest.

"I have to commend you on that one," Mark stated. "I never saw that coming until it was too late, and even then I didn't have time to react."

"I'm impressed you deduced it before it happened," Lance stated. "But, you did not do so quick enough; you were far too intent on pressuring me to stop me from counter-attacking."

"Which happened anyway," Mark returned, dejectedly.

"Precisely," Lance returned, in a disappointed manner that left Mark feeling small in his gaze. "I would've thought a former champion would know better than to let battle instinct overwhelm his senses."

And once again, Mark felt a sting to his pride. That was twice now in just two days that he found himself being humbled by these trainers from Kanto. He had been a Champion once, and Lance was correct; he _should_ know these things with his experience. He'd been a trainer for close to four years now –one of those years he spent _as_ the Hoenn Champion! What was wrong with him?

"I guess... I'm not myself lately," Mark returned. "But that's no excuse for my crap performance is it?"

"No, it isn't," Lance stated, producing Goodra's Poké Ball from beneath his cape. "Goodra, catch your breath; I will need you again soon."

Goodra elicited a rumbling response to its trainer as Lance recalled it to its ball, pocketing it after. "If you want to have a hope of defeating me, Mark, you must keep your head level at all times. Make no mistake; I may have few challengers as the Champion, but I have _never_ stopped training, and through your performance here today I'm starting to think that after you left the Hoenn League, you grew complacent and stopped training. Am I wrong?"

Unfortunately, he wasn't. Mark remembered Blue's words after their battle; ' _keep training, even if you're not on a journey; Pokémon get out of shape even faster than humans do but they can bounce back just as quickly too'_ , and now Lance was telling him the same thing.

Mark could not tell a lie –not when the truth had become so clear to him, and so he could only answer him honestly. "No... you're not. I haven't been training as much as I should have been." He hung his head shamefully.

"Then, Mark, I must be honest with you," Lance stated. "Your journey to battle the greatest trainers in the world will fail utterly the way you are now. The other Champions are as strong as I am –some may be even stronger still. Whether or not you win this battle, you _must_ resume training for the road ahead; if you can't, then you may as well go home." He held up the Poké Ball of his next chosen battler. "Because with Pokémon and their Trainers, there is no success for slackers."

 _'_ _God damn if everything he's saying doesn't make sense_ ,' thought Mark. He had neglected his training –his and that of his Pokémon, for far too long with his only excuse being because he didn't know when he would be travelling or battling again, and in that time his Pokémon had become weaker... _he_ had become weaker. The terrible performance against his current opponent was because of _him_ and his negligence.

Mark's fists tightened, feeling a heat rising in his chest. He would make this right... he would fix the weak link in his team's chain, but most of all, he would not give up in this battle. Lance still had three Pokémon left –four including Goodra, and Mark had four; the battle was _far_ from over. He reached into his vest, selecting his next Pokémon and revealing a Poké Ball as he drew his hand back out.

"You wish to continue then?" Lance asked.

"I'm not down yet. The real battle starts _now_ Lance," Mark stated, his brow furrowing with determination.

At that, Lance grinned, seeing the fires in Mark's eyes as they both stood there, staring each other down. "And there's what I've been waiting to see." He drew back his arm, casting forth his held Poké Ball and releasing the Pokémon inside.

Out of the confines emerged another Dragon-type, tall and sleek-bodied with its entire back covered in layers of armour-like scales, yellow in colour, and black undertones around its ventral from the neck down to the lower belly. Its short, stubby arms ended in small reptilian claws, red in colour, three on each arm, and matching clawed feet. But most startling of all were the axe-like tusks growing from its face. When it threw back its head to roar, it looked like it was swinging a battle axe about in its mouth.

"I choose Haxorus," Lance stated. "Who will you bring forth next?"

Mark narrowed his eyes, looking at the ball in his hand before drawing back his arm, slowly and surely. "I choose..." He said. "Coal!" And threw the ball forward, releasing the Charmeleon within.

Coal emerged from the ball with a gleeful growl, landing on all fours on the floor and eliciting a rumble of excitement as he saw the Haxorus standing across the arena from him. His eyes narrowed, smoke billowing from his nostrils as he stood up, looking briefly back at Mark before looking forward at Haxorus again.

"Your Charmeleon?" Lance asked. "Don't you think your Charmeleon may not be up to this task? It is a middle-stage Pokémon –an adolescent, if you will. As for my Haxorus, he is fully-grown and trained."

Mark only grinned. "Growth and training does not equal a better battler," he stated.

"Have it your way, then," Lance stated. "Haxorus, Dual Chop!"

The edges of Haxorus' axe-blade tusks gleamed with a light, purple energy as it charged at Coal, roaring with ferocity as it charged forth. Mark told Coal to stand his ground; he did, sweeping his tail across the floor eagerly as Haxorus charged, raising its head up to swing.

"Jump!" Mark called, and Coal jumped over the first swing, and again over the second one. Haxorus then tried to stomp on him, but before he could even bring down his foot, Coal dashed to the side out its path. "Dragon Pulse!"

Coal opened his mouth, and from it fired a powerful, pulsing wave of Dragon-type energy, blasting Haxorus at near point-blank range and stumbling him, followed by a second blast, and a third finally knocked Haxorus off of his feet, sending him stumbling to the ground, but he caught himself on his foreclaws, and with some effort stood back up.

"Dual Chop again!" Lance ordered.

Once more onto the attack, Haxorus attempted to strike at Coal with his axe tusks, but as before, the Charmeleon dashed away before he could be struck, leaving a very frustrated Haxorus chasing after him, but Coal's small size and speed worked to his advantage, dashing between Haxorus' legs to get behind him. The dragon looked down between his legs at the Charmeleon behind him, who blew a taunting raspberry at Haxorus.

"An agile little adversary," Lance stated.

"It's like I said, Lance," Mark returned. "The real battle starts _now_. Coal, Smokescreen!"

"Rock Slide!" Lance commanded Haxorus.

From seemingly out of thin air, dozens of rocks materialized around Haxorus, and with a stomp of his foot, tumbled towards Coal in an attempt to bury him under the stones, but at the same time, Coal belched a cloud of black smoke, and dodged the first boulder just in time before disappearing into the smoke. All went silent except for the tumbling of the rocks until they rolled to a stop, with the smoke still hiding Coal from sight.

Haxorus narrowed its eyes as it stared into the smoke, trying to spot the Charmeleon. In seconds, he felt something fall onto his back, and looked behind him to see Coal on his back! He roared angrily, thrashing about and trying to fling Coal off of his back, but Coal dug his claws into the armour-like plates lining his back, hanging on tight and continuing to taunt the Haxorus to annoy him further.

Finally, when Haxorus began to run out of breath, Coal leapt away from him, and fired a point-blank Dragon Pulse directly into his face. Haxorus howled in agony, reeling away from the blast and then falling onto his side. Much to the shock of Lance, he went still and let out a long groan as he slipped out of consciousness.

"I don't believe it!" Lance protested.

"Nice one, Coal!" Mark called, and received a growl of acknowledgement from the Charmeleon. "How do you like my little superstar, Lance?"

With a mild scoff, Lance produced Haxorus' Poké Ball and recalled him, setting the ball aside as he had the previous ones and addressing Mark. "You surprised me, Mark," he said. "I didn't think a Charmeleon could ever defeat a fully evolved Dragon Pokémon, and yet your Charmeleon just defeated Haxorus without suffering a scratch." He could.

"When faced with a physically stronger opponent, the best way to beat them is to outmaneuver them," Mark stated. "You can't beat what you can't catch."

"Hey! That's my line!" Randy barked.

Mark glanced over his shoulder at Randy briefly, and directed his attention forward again as Lance spoke. "Now _this_ is the battle I've been waiting for!" He called. He swung out his arm, revealing another Poké Ball in his hand. "Now I can battle you for _real!_ "

The calm, coherent Lance that Mark had been seeing thus far had now vanished, and was replaced by a warrior burning with anticipation for the battle. A warrior with the eyes of a dragon, and will to match. It was then, Mark knew, that the might of Dragon-type Pokémon in its purest form was about to fall upon him, with Lance gripping the hammer that would flatten the former Hoenn Champion with its might.

He shifted his stance and met Lance's gaze, an unseen tension striking the air between them as they faced off, ready to battle as equals to see who would emerge triumphant...


	10. Chapter 9

So far, Mark's battle with the dragon master Lance, champion of Kanto, wasn't going how he had initially pictured it. He had entered the battle believing he had Lance's strategy figured out, but the unexpected appearance of a Goodra –a Pokémon Mark didn't even _know_ Lance had, had stumbled him and forced him to lose the early lead he had gained, having lost Vitesse and Siren to Goodra and now, that dangerous slime dragon was back in its Poké Ball, awaiting when it would appear again.

Fortunately, Mark had turned the tables back to an even level; Lance had swapped Goodra for Haxorus, but despite its tremendous strength, Coal had successfully defeated it through agility, speed, and his ability to use Dragon Pulse, wearing down the larger, clumsier Pokémon until he finally collapsed, with Coal emerging victorious much to the surprise of Lance.

Now the next round was about to begin, with Coal still on the field as he and Mark awaited Lance's next Pokémon.

"Return to battle, Goodra!" Lance called. The ball was cast, and out of it emerged that slimy lavender dragon again, letting out its bubbly growl as it appeared.

 _'Alright... need a new plan here,'_ Mark began, calling Coal back to his side to let Lance know he wanted to switch the Pokémon he was using. _'Coal's not powerful enough to take down Goodra; that thing took a direct hit from Siren's Disarming Voice, and that was while she was powered up by her Competitive ability making her much more powerful than Coal is, and then it beat Vitesse as well with that Bide trick. My options are limited here; I need to weaken those defenses, and there's only one Pokémon_ _I have who can do that.'_

He reached into his vest, grasping his next choice. "Fang, you're up!" Mark called, throwing the ball forward to let out his Mightyena. Fang emerged from the ball with a deep growl, landing on all fours and facing Goodra with his teeth bared.

Lance narrowed his eyes slightly at Mark's choice, but made no comment about it, and ordered Goodra to make its first move. "Goodra, Power Whip!"

Goodra swung its head around to toss about its gooey horns somewhat, before it threw its head forward to send them stretching towards Fang before swinging down at him. Fang rolled to the side to avoid it, and Mark gave him his attack command. "Torment!"

Fang's eyes glowed brightly, and he unleashed a howl as a red aura poured out from his body all around him. The same aura appeared around Goodra, and though the dragon-type cringed as though it were in pain, the attack did no damage, leaving Goodra more confused than actually hurt, and thanks to the effect of Torment, Goodra couldn't use Power Whip again, forced to pull its horns back or that red energy would appear again.

"I see what you're up to," Lance stated. "Trying to stop Goodra from using her more powerful attacks."

"That Goodra's a female?" Randy, still recording the battle, asked.

Mark didn't add to that question, nor respond to Lance, keeping his attention entirely on the battle. "Now Fang, Shadow Ball!"

Fang opened his maw as a purple glow flowed out between his teeth, an ominous sphere of violet having formed between his jaws, which he launched at Goodra when it was fully charged. The attack scored a direct hit, but it did little to actually hurt Goodra; she grunted noticeably at the attack's impact but stood firm. But Mark didn't relent, ordering Fang to strafe away as it tried to use its horns to grab Fang for a Slam attack as ordered by Lance, but Fang was faster than Goodra, and at Mark's command attacked with another Shadow Ball.

The attack struck home; Goodra's lack of speed made her an easy target for a distance attack even for someone like Fang who was much more effective up close. To top it off, she was still weakened from the earlier hits she'd taken from Siren and Vitesse even though the attacks hadn't been all that effective. Not that the Shadow Ball attack was doing much better; Goodra was still standing firm, and yet Mark kept ordering the Shadow Ball attacks.

"Mark, what're you doing?" Randy asked. "Goodra's a Special Defense tank; Shadow Ball's not going to work!"

Mark didn't respond, and Fang was onto using a sixth Shadow Ball now. Unlike the previous times, _this_ time Goodra actually reeled, surprising both Randy _and_ Lance when the dragon staggered.

"What's going on here; how is Goodra taking more damage?" Lance asked.

"Seems both you _and_ Randy forgot or didn't know about Shadow Ball's effect," Mark returned.

Lance jerked as if he'd been hit, suddenly understanding what Mark was saying. "Damn!" He cursed.

"That's right; it lowers Special Defense!" Mark returned.

"Then I will stop it from weakening her further! Goodra, Muddy Water!" Lance called.

"Snarl!" Mark returned.

As before, Fang was faster, unleashing the terrifying Snarl attack, striking Goodra with unseen force that staggered it. Thanks to its already weakened Special Defenses, the damage of the attack was stronger than it would be normally, but it did not stop Goodra from unleashing her own attack, conjuring a tsunami of dirty brown water to send hurtling towards Fang. Halfway to her target, Fang charged forward and jumped as high as he could, soaring straight at the top of the mini-tsunami. It caught his belly as he arched over it, dealing only minor damage –less thanks to Snarl _also_ having an added effect.

When Fang touched down, only a short leap away from Goodra, Mark ordered him to use Crunch, and he pounced, launching himself at Goodra with his teeth bared, the terrifying look on his face making Goodra put up her arm in defense, only to howl loudly as Fang's teeth sank into her slimy limb. Using the nails on his paws he gripped Goodra's torso as best as he could as the slimy Dragon-type tried to throw him off of her.

Fang relentlessly continued biting, but eventually his teeth slipped free, falling off of Goodra's arm, but after dodging an attempt to slam him with her horns, Fang rushed back in, this time biting Goodra's leg and yanking hard, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the floor with a wet splatter, and that is when Fang jumped onto her back, this time biting her shoulder. The added effect of Crunch was to lower Defense, and with so many bites, Goodra was quickly succumbing to all of the damage.

"Goodra, you must get up!" Lance called, but try as she might, Goodra couldn't shake Fang off of her, and had no means to stop his final attack.

"Ice Fang!"

Fang reared back his head, icy mist pouring out between his jaws before he struck with one more bite, chomping onto Goodra's shoulder and sending a creeping cold through her. She could barely even shriek in pain before the attack finally sent blackness across her eyes and she collapsed, laying prone and slipping out of consciousness. Only then did Fang pull his teeth away and jump off of her, letting Lance recall her to her Poké Ball.

The act of struggling with Goodra had left Fang coated in slime from prolonged contact with Goodra. He spat out some of it, and then shook himself trying to get it off, but it stubbornly clung to his fur, leaving it wet and messy looking as a result, as though he had just been swimming in a vat full of oil.

"Going to need a bath after this, eh boy?" Mark asked Fang.

The Mightyena huffed in reply, and went back to trying to get the slime out of his fur, until he heard Fang calling out is next Pokémon, bringing him immediately back to his alert self as he knew the battle was about to continue. "Come forth, Garchomp!" Lance called as he threw the Poké Ball in his hand, releasing the Dragon-type Pokémon within.

The Pokémon that emerged was yet another bipedal dragon with a dark purple body and red undertones, with a yellow pentagonal shape on its belly and a six-pointed star of a matching colour on its snout, that looked like a cross between a hammerhead shark and a horned lizard, with a body covered in rough skin and sharp spikes. It had bright yellow eyes with black scilera, dark as night and making the eyes stand out all the more. It had short, skinny arms, both ending in downward curving 'fins' –adding more to its shark-like appearance- and tipped with one sharp, curved claw. Its tail ended in a dorsal fin, and its legs, were lean and muscular like a runner, with spiked thighs.

"So that's a Garchomp," Mark wondered aloud. _'Dragon/Ground-type just like Flygon, so I'll need to use Ice-type to take it down. And I've only got one left who can use an Ice-type attack.'_

"Alright then, I'm sticking with Fang," Mark informed Lance.

"Very well," Lance returned.

Both Fang and Garchomp took their positions, growling ferally at one another as their eyes met, and Lance gave the first command. "Dragon Claw!" Garchomp's left claw glowed, and it charged at Fang, striding across the ground with speed rival even to Vitesse; Fang tried to jump away, but he was too late, and suffered a slash right to his flank, sending white-hot pain through him.

"Ice Fang!" Mark called.

Fang lunged forward, attempting to bite Garchomp, but the shark-like Dragon Pokémon stepped back before Fang even got close, and at Lance's command, it then swung around with its tail glowing a steely gray, landing a punishing Iron Tail on his cheek and making Fang yelp in pain as he was sent sprawling onto his side.

Mark stared in confusion at Fang. _'Something's wrong; Fang's usually faster than that,'_ he said, wondering what could be slowing him down. Garchomp hadn't used any attacks for decreasing speed like Rock Tomb or Bulldoze...

Unless it _wasn't_ Garchomp's doing. Mark's eyes fell upon Fang's underside, noticing the goop still clinging to him from when he had attacked Goodra. That had to be what was doing it; Goodra's sticky slime coating was all over the MIghtyena and was gumming him up! Unfortunately, Mark hadn't taught Fang any moves for raising or restoring speed; he'd trained Fang mostly to hinder _other_ Pokémon, and now the tables had turned on him.

"Garchomp, Dragon Claw again!"

Thinking fast, Mark had to change up his strategy if he was going to take down Garchomp. "Fang, duck low!" Mark called out.

Since Fang couldn't run out of the way of Garchomp's attack, he dropped onto his belly, flattening his ears to avoid having them sheared off as Garchomp's deadly claw whooshed over his head. Seeing his chance, Fang lunged forward, still slowed by the slime by Garchomp was so close now, even it wasn't fast enough to get away. He struck with another Ice Fang, biting down on Garchomp's arm; the shark-like dragon roared in anguish, trying to pull his arm free, but Fang held on tight, his lips curled back and growling in challenge as he wrestled Garchomp for control, throwing himself side-to-side trying to pull it off balance.

Garchomp proved to be too stubborn though, managing to stay on its feet, and Fang's choice of attack was coming back on him as he felt his gums being cut up by Garchomp's rough skin, but he fought his base instinct to let go and held on. Mark wasn't yet aware of the harm Fang was taking, and didn't give him another command, letting Garchomp take the Ice Fang attack until the dragon Pokémon finally managed to throw Fang off. Only then did Mark see the trauma Fang had endured.

His mouth was bloodied, somewhat, and it wasn't Garchomp's blood either, it was his. Looking closer, Mark saw how Fang's mouth had been cut up, causing him to hesitate with concern for his Pokémon and giving Garchomp its opportunity when Lance called out for another Dragon Claw. Fang once more tried to dodge, but Garchomp was much too quick, and cut across Fang's exposed chest. The cut was shallow, but still sent some fur flying after the swinging of the claw.

Mark couldn't let this continue; Fang was hurt, and he couldn't let it continue any further than it had already. "Stop!" Mark called.

"Garchomp, desist!" Lance added in when he heard Mark call out.

Both Pokémon halted in their tracks, turning to their trainers with questioning looks, until Mark called out to Fang. "That's enough, boy; come here," Mark bade.

Fang compliantly left the battle, and Garchomp, after watching him leave, stepped off to return to his trainer's side as the Mightyena did. Mark knelt down by his Pokémon as the Mightyena returned to him, seeing more blood trickling out from his lip and cringing at the sight of it. He still went on to check his Pokémon, seeing the cuts in his mouth were the worst; the one on his chest wasn't too bad and would heal itself fine.

He turned to look at Lance. "Short break; I need to treat Fang's injuries," he said.

"Of course," replied Lance, nodding.

Bruises and scrapes were one thing, but cuts in the mouth could not be left alone, Mark stated in his mind. They were at the most risk of becoming infected if not treated immediately. "Randy, can you bring me the first aid kit and the soup bowl in my bag?" Mark asked.

"Sure," Randy replied, pausing his camcorder and turning to the knapsack Mark had left next to him. "Which pockets?"

"Turn the back towards you; first aid's the pocket on the upper half," Mark replied, "and the bowl is in the big pocket on the bottom half, covered in bubble wrap."

Randy did as instructed, unzipping the indicated pockets and finding the items, bringing them over to Mark as the trainer ordered Fang to open his mouth, showing how much damage had been done. One of Garchomp's scales had even been left lodged between his teeth, but Mark saw that was removed before he got started.

"You okay boy?" Mark asked, earning a whine in response from Fang, knowing his mouth _had_ to be sore after what he had endured. "I didn't expect Lance's Garchomp to have the Rough Skin ability; should've guessed something was out of place when Lance didn't use Sandstorm."

"Why Sandstorm?" Randy asked as he opened the first aid kit, handing over everything Mark asked for.

"Sand Veil; it's an ability that makes Garchomp practically invisible in a sandstorm and therefore, combined with its natural speed makes it almost impossible to hit. But it seems this one didn't have that ability," Mark explained, giving Fang some water as he spoke, but telling him not to swallow, and instead rinse his mouth with it. Fang compliantly did as he was told, and spat the water out into the soup bowl.

"Ugh, dude; you _eat_ out of that you know," Randy reminded.

"Bowls can be washed, Randy," Mark returned, taking a cotton swap from the kit and asking Fang to keep his mouth open as he coated the fuzzy end in an antiseptic. "This isn't going to taste very good, boy," Mark warned Fang as he sought the areas where the blood was coming from, applying the disinfectant to those spots, always watching Fang's reaction as he worked.

" _Man_ those are some sharp teeth," Randy commented. "I'm surprised Fang lets you do this without being under an anesthetic."

"I know he trusts me," Mark returned, staying focused on his work. "Most Pokémon, especially canine and feline ones, hate having their mouths invaded by foreign objects. That's why it's important that he knows I can be trusted." He patted Fang's side briefly. "Right boy?"

Fang couldn't exactly reply with his mouth wide open, so he just blinked.

"You sure know a lot about this sort of thing," Randy commented. "Like a veterinarian."

Mark laughed lightly. "Not even _close_ to a vet –to even call me an assistant would be generous. What I know is... more like Pokémon first-aid at most," he stated. "Nah, mom's the vet. Everything I know, she taught me, and I practiced on the Miltank we keep back home on the farm."

"Your mom taught you the basics of being a Pokémon Trainer _and_ the basics of a vet?" Randy asked. "Is there anything she _didn't_ teach you?"

"Well, I still don't know how to keep Coal from making a fuss over this whenever he gets hurt."

"A fuss about having his gums poked or about the taste of the antiseptic?"

"About sitting still." 

Minutes later, Mark finished treating Fang's cut-up mouth, he removed the swab from Fang's mouth, the Mightyena smacking his lips together, face souring as he felt the antiseptic substance touch his tongue. Mark gave him more water to wash the taste and any excess blood out, once more spitting into the bowl, and then a final drink to quench his dry mouth.

"There you go, boy," Mark said. "We'll get you more thorough treatment at the Pokémon Center but this should stop any infections. Now, you take a rest here; you can watch the rest of the battle with Randy, okay?"

Fang nodded his head, and made himself comfortable on the floor as he watched Mark return to his position on the battlefield. Lance, patiently waiting all of this time, stood with Garchomp at the other end of the battlefield until he saw Mark return.

"Are you finished?"

Mark nodded. "Yes," he replied.

"Is Fang alright?"

Mark nodded again. "Yep; nothing too severe. Just wanted to make sure he didn't get an infection."

"Good. Then we are ready to resume whenever you are, Mark," Lance bade, and nodded to Garchomp, who stepped back out onto the field to return to its starting position.

Mark now had a moment to think over his next strategy. Garchomp was fast _and_ strong, and had taken some harm from Fang but not enough that Coal or Palm Tree might be able to finish him off –besides the fact Coal was weak to Ground-type moves, if Garchomp knew any Rock-type attacks he could knock either Palm Tree out of the sky too. With that in mind, he really only had one option left...

"Alright, Tanker," Mark stated, reaching in and taking out the Poké Ball for his Steelix. "Let's see if we can make up for that battle against Rhydon, shall we?" He asked before he threw the ball forward. "Come on out!"

The ball opened, and out of the sphere emerged the gigantic Steelix, rising up from his starting position and casting a shadow over Garchomp as he blocked out the overhead lights, roaring loudly in challenge at the Dragon-type Pokémon he would be facing.

"A Steelix, huh?" Lance asked, staring up at the massive, metal snake. "Aside from your Charmeleon, I've only seen you using Pokémon native to the Hoenn region –for obvious reasons, but you have two that're native to _this_ continent. Have you been to Kanto before?"

Mark shook his head. "Coal is kind of a long story, but Tanker here, I caught on Dewford Island, in the cave at the north end," he explained. "I don't know how any Onix got out there, but he was the only one I saw at the time."

"I see," Lance returned. "Well, I hate to say it but you've rendered most of my Garchomp's known attacks ineffective. However, you _are_ aware Steel is vulnerable to Ground-type, aren't you?"

"We'll see just how much of an edge that gives you," Mark returned. "Nearly _all_ Ground-type attacks are Physical attacks, and Tanker can take _any_ direct hit."

If only he were as confident as he actually sounded; the last battle Tanker had was _also_ against another Ground-type, but one that also had a weakness to Steel-types, so at least there both sides had an advantage. That wasn't the case with Garchomp, and Mark suddenly cursed himself for not having Fang use Torment on Garchomp when he had the chance. It might've swung this battle in Tanker's favour, depending on just _how many_ Ground-type moves Garchomp knew. It was just fortunate that Garchomp couldn't learn one-hit knock out moves like the Horn Drill Rhydon had used to win before.

 _'I should try and lower Garchomp's speed if I can,'_ Mark thought. ' _As long as he moves as fast as he does I won't be able to take him down._ ' He looked down at the tiling under them. _'Can't use Dig or Earthquake on this stone floor –the same goes for Garchomp at that- so I'll have to rely on defense again.'_

"Garchomp, use Bulldoze!" Lance ordered.

Garchomp stomped the floor, sending a tremor rippling through the stone that shook up Tanker from below, causing him to grind his jaws together as his body was rattled by the attack.

' _Buuuut apparently_ that _still works; that's nice,'_ Mark thought in exasperation. "Tanker, Rock Tomb!" Mark called.

Large boulders materialized out of thin air around Tanker, and with a roar, they were all lobbed by unseen force towards Garchomp, multiplying even as they arched towards the land shark. Garchomp darted to the side to avoid the first boulder, and then zig-zagged around the battlefield, trying to avoid them, but Tanker's onslaught was relentless, conjuring more boulders to shower Garchomp with. Eventually, one found its mark as Garchomp rapidly ran out of places to maneuver, and finally was hit directly, knocked off of his feet and to the paved floor.

"Garchomp!"

"Now, Tanker, Iron Head!"

The Steelix surged forth, lowering his head as he pushed himself towards Garchomp, smashing through the boulders in the process before they began to dematerialize. Garchomp returned to its feet just as Tanker reached him, and narrowly got out of the way as Tanker swung his head at him. Garchomp retaliated with a Dragon Claw across Tanker's face, sending sparks scattering as claw met metal, leaving little more than a scratch in Tanker's literal iron body. Tanker tried to strike him again, but Garchomp dodged once more.

 _'Rock Tomb didn't slow it enough, and that Bulldoze made Tanker slower too,'_ Mark thought. _'I can't beat Garchomp's speed if they_ both _keep slowing each other down... okay, need a new plan.'_

But what? That was the question; what could Mark do differently here? He couldn't make Tanker any faster –he didn't know Autonomize or Rock Polish. ' _Might have to look into teaching him one of those,'_ he thought before going back to planning.

There was only one thing left he could do. He looked the keystone on his wrist; he hadn't gotten the chance to use it Vitesse, but Tanker still had _his_ stone to use its power on. But would it even help? He'd never used Tanker's Mega form in battle before; he didn't even know what its ability was! And it wasn't as though he could just pause the battle and look it up; it wasn't like playing a video game and could get an edge with strategy guides or online walkthroughs.

"Well, it's sink or swim now," Mark mumbled to himself.

"Are you having difficulty, Mark?" Lance called, curiously. Their Pokémon had been staring each other down for the past few seconds. "If you aren't going to attack, then I am."

"Oh I'm going to attack," Mark returned, raising his arm and showing his key stone. "I'm just going to give my Pokémon a little boost."

Lance narrowed his eyes "What's that?" He asked.

"The key to my victory," Mark returned, placing his hand over the stone and clenching his fingers around it. "Tanker, let's turn it up! Mega Evolve!"

Tanker reared back, showing the Mega Stone worn around his neck, which began to shine brightly and bathed him in light, engulfing him in a brilliant glow that blinded all of the trainers in the room. Randy had to duck behind his camera and darken the image a little to try and keep from being blinded while both Lance and Mark shadowed their eyes with their forearms, Garchomp lowering its head and waiting to see his opponent's ascension to a whole new level.

Tanker began to reappear, taking on the form that Mark hadn't seen since that day at Sycamore's temporary lab. The metal giant, with the massive half-moon shaped head, blue eyes and a body of metal sections with huge diamond spikes growing out of them, including the sharp point at the end of the tail. Encircling him, a ring of metal and mineral fragments, orbiting Tanker like an asteroid belt around a planet.

"So _this_ is Mega Evolution," Lance said, awestruck by his first sight of a Mega Evolved Pokémon –even as the Champion of Kanto, he had never actually seen it before, and for one who had never witnessed it, it was a sight to behold. "Such _power_. Such magnificence!"

"Glad you like him," Mark stated. "Now get ready, because he's about to smash you like a hammer."

Tanker growled low in acknowledgement.

"We shall see about that!" Lance called. "Garchomp, Bulldoze!"

"Defense Curl!"

As Garchomp raised its foot to attack, the Mega Steelix coiled himself into a pile, a metallic blue sheen flashing across his body as the attack raised his Defense; Bulldoze struck, and Tanker barely moved an inch, clearly still suffering some discomfort, but not enough to stop him. "Now, Iron Head; low swing!"

With that command, Tanker surged forth, winding his head back swinging his upper body like a wrecking ball to strike out at Garchomp with his wide-berthing head sweeping across the floor, the fin jutting from his lower left jaw generating sparks as it dug into the stonework. The dragon reacted by jumping up into the air, clearing Tanker's attack safely.

But both Lance and Garchomp realized that was a mistake when Tanker twisted his tail about, spiking the end into the floor to anchor himself, and swung around in a full circle, bringing himself around for a second attack, this time slamming Garchomp full-force with his massive head. The shark-like dragon let out of sharp wheeze of air as it was struck, the wind knocked out of him, before it was sent flying across the room to strike the wall with bone-jarring force.

Garchomp lay there, partially inside of the wall and mouth agape with a stunned look on its face. And then, slowly, it fell away from the wall, collapsing to the floor and becoming still, not responding even when Lance called out to it and ran to its side.

"Is Garchomp alright?" Mark asked.

"Yes," replied Lance. "He'll be fine; he's just knocked out." He produced Garchomp's Poké Ball, recalling him, and then returned the ball to its holster hidden within his cape. Slowly, Lance stood up, and turned to look at Mark. "And that was quite creative of Tanker, to use the momentum of his own attack to carry into the next one while Garchomp was still in midair and vulnerable."

"We practiced that maneuver for months," Mark explained. "Tanker's my toughest Pokémon without question but a heavyweight Pokémon is easily beaten by opponents they can't catch."

"So you create a maneuver that prompts them to react poorly, such as when Garchomp jumped instead of ran because he thought you were aiming for his legs when you swung low," Lance analyzed, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Actually, that wasn't the only intent for the maneuver," Mark stated. "Be you a human or a Pokémon, one rule stays the same in battle; you're most vulnerable when you attack, right?"

"Right," agreed Lance, narrowing his eyes curiously.

"If Garchomp _had_ run backward instead of jumping, and moved in to counter-attack while Tanker was supposedly vulnerable, he would've carried into that second swing and still struck Garchomp as it was closing in," Mark explained. "That's the idea behind that maneuver; to make up for lack of speed by covering the blind spot."

"Brilliant, Mark," complimented Lance. "Your prowess as a strategist appears to be shining forth again; you're regaining your strength as a trainer."

Mark felt a warmth in his chest at the compliment, but he forced himself to stay focused. Lance hadn't lost that fierce look in his eye; even though he was praising Mark now, the Dragon Master still had one Pokémon left.

"This will be the final test, then," Lance stated, drawing out his final Poké Ball; an Ultra Ball to be exact, recognized by the black top and yellow 'U' that marked it. Only the strongest Pokémon required such a ball to be used to catch them, and just seeing that –without even knowing what Pokémon was inside, Mark felt himself tense. Whatever was in that ball was going to be _strong_.

"Your Mega Steelix is mighty, but let us see how it fares against my strongest Pokémon," Lance continued, his words surprising Mark.

"Wait, your strongest?" He asked. "But everything I've read says that Dragonite is your strongest."

"With three Dragonite at my command it's hard to say which one is actually the strongest," Lance stated. "While they are certainly the ones who have been with me the longest, there is one Pokémon I possess that is more powerful than any one of them, and it is the one I hold in my hand right now."

Lance drew back his arm. "The time is now, Mark," he stated. "Where you know the true power of Dragon Pokémon!" And with that, he hurled the ball forward. "Come forth, Hydreigon!"

From the ball, the Pokémon emerged; Mark had known and expected Lance to have Hydreigon but not to hear it was actually his strongest Pokémon, and after having such difficulty against Goodra before, it made his heartrate increase in tempo. Tanker shifted uneasily, sensing his trainer's worry; the grinding of his body alerted Mark that he needed to stay focused –if his Pokémon could sense his fear, it would disrupt them.

And right now, there was no room for error. Not against what was coming.

As Hydreigon materialized, Mark got a full view of its terrifying glory. A flying monstrosity with six black wings growing from its back hovered in the air across the battlefield, with a matching upper body that covered it like a long-sleeve shirt, reaching the end of its arms that instead of having hands, held two blue heads with black eyes, followed by a third one in the middle at the end of a long neck. A blue face with black eyes, fuschia iris and a fuschia collar around its head, splayed out like flower petals. The rest of its body was blue, with two fuschia streaks running down its front and along the bottom of its tail.

" _Now_ I'm in trouble," Mark said in a low tone.

"No worries, Mark!" Randy called out. "You said so yourself; you've got Pokémon who can handle Hydreigon just fine, right?"

"Except Lance has already _beaten_ the ones I was referring to," Mark returned, darkly.

"Oh..."

Mark cursed under his breath. _'Without Vitesse or Siren I'm at a disadvantage; Hydreigon's a Special Attacker, not a physical. Tanker's defense against Special Attacks is too low, even Mega Evolved; he won't be able to withstand repeated hits.'_ He scowled, eyes falling to the floor. _'But Coal and Palm Tree aren't powerful enough to take on a Pseudo-Legendary like Hydreigon! I shouldn't have used Siren to take on Flygon; now I've backed myself into a corner I can't get out of! Maybe I should have used Scyther after all; he'd have a chance..._ '

He growled. _'But I have no idea what Scyther was capable of; there was no time to train with him! Hell, I don't even know what the hell Tanker's new power is while he's mega evolved! Damn it, I was too impatient; I was so eager for my battle with Lance I didn't think things through enough!'_

 _"GROWR!"_

Mark jumped at least a foot into the air at the growl, his arms flailing slightly as he fell again. He looked behind him, finding Fang back up on all fours and leering at him. Or... not so much of a leer as a scolding stare from the Mightyena. On a whim, Mark looked towards Tanker, to see the Steelix was looking back at him as well; Tanker couldn't exactly show expression due to his physiology but that look in his eye was just like Fang's; he was scolding Mark for losing his head when they were still in the middle of a battle, letting his emotions run away from the again.

Now it was Mark's turn to curse himself. ' _Damn it... did I learn nothing from what Lance said?'_ He wondered. _'Or what my mom's been saying to me for years? I have to be patient –have to adapt. I was able to do that at the League when I battled Steven and I will do it again here.'_ His fists clenched. _'I'm a strategist, for crying out loud; time to man up and act like one.'_

"Mark, are you alright?" Lance called as Mark finally snapped out of his trance.

"Sorry, Lance," Mark replied, shaking his head. "I was... kind of lost in my head for a second there."

"Your Pokémon were looking rather worried about you there," the dragon master stated. "Are you going to change out your Steelix or are you staying with him?"

"Just... give me another minute, okay?" Mark asked.

"Do hurry; my dragon doesn't like to be kept waiting," Lance warned Mark, followed by a feral growl from Hydreigon, who was staring rather hungrily at Steelix.

 _'Okay. Planning time; go over_ every _detail this time, consider every angle, and analyze the battle as it's progressed,'_ thought Mark, shutting his eyes and letting the gears in his mind turn, running through everything he knew and had seen about this battle so far.

He thought about Hydreigon, and what he knew of them from past experiences, and then he thought about Lance and his battle-style.; focused on making his Pokémon play to their strengths and overwhelm his opponents with raw power, all while maintaining a cool head and steadfast determination to keep his dragons –and himself- under control at all times, and therefore control the battle as he saw fit...

He thought about the battle thus far, against Dragonite, Goodra, Flygon, Haxorus and Garchomp, how they had all proceeded and if there were any details he could make use of that revealed themselves throughout the battles...

He thought about Tanker, all of his moves he knew. ' _Iron Head, Dig, Earthquake, Rock Tomb, Defense Curl and...'_

His eyes flashed open, remembering the sixth and final move he had taught Tanker –it was the only one he hadn't used yet since coming to Kanto, and it was now his only chance.

' _I've got it!'_ He exclaimed in his mind; he knew what to do.

"I'm staying with Tanker," Mark informed Lance. "I appreciate your patience, and from here on I promise there won't be any more delays." He clenched his hands into fists. "I'm in this to the finish, now." He looked back at Fang, smiling at the Mightyena and nodding to him. "Thanks, boy."

Fang's lips curled back a little, as if he were trying to smile as well. Of course, his face wasn't exactly built for showing expression.

"And thank you too, Tanker; got my head on straight now," he said to his Steelix. "Let's win this thing, eh?"

Tanker nodded his large head without looking back at Mark, keeping his attention focused on Hydreigon. The next battle was finally about to begin, with a Mega Steelix versus a Hydreigon, and this time, Mark knew _exactly_ what to do, and how to do it. Twice in this battle, he'd lost his head; if he let it happen a third time or hesitated even once, it was all over.

"Hydreigon, go!" Lance called. "Unleash your fury with Fire Blast!"

 _'Of_ course _it knows a Fire-type move!'_ Mark screamed in his head

Hydreigon reared back its middle head, a fireball appearing in its mouth. Mark acted quickly. "Tanker, Sandstorm!"

And there it was; Tanker unleashed his sixth attack –the last one Mark had taught him. He reared up, standing upright on his tail, and roared as his upper body began to spin in place, generating a powerful wind and conjuring a cloud of dust all around himself, creating the whirlwind of sand just as Hydreigon unleashed its attack. The star-shaped blast of fire soared into the whirling sand, but was quickly choked out by it as it intensified, having no effect.

"Draco Meteor!" Lance commanded.

Hydreigon began to power up its attack, but was buffeted by the sandstorm, causing it to hesitate. It suffered some minor scratches from the blowing sand, but it shook it off and then unleashed the attack, rearing back its middle head and roaring into the air as several lights appeared on the ceiling above, staying there only briefly before transforming into flaming projectiles, falling upon the sandstorm and showering the area where Tanker had been prior to conjuring the storm, but they could no longer see him or Mark, and could not be certain of their target.

Several explosive impacts, but no roars of pain from the Steelix.

Lance, forced to bring up his cape to duck behind as the sandstorm intensified, sneered with a suspicious glare as he stared into the sandstorm. "Where did it go?" He wondered aloud. "It _must_ be in there!" He looked up. "Hydreigon! Be alert; it could come from anywhere!"

Lance was confident that Hydreigon would be safe from attack from below, as his levitate ability made him immune to attacks like Earthquake. Sooner or later, Tanker would have to emerge from the Sandstorm to attack, or it would clear and reveal him first, or Hydreigon would land a lucky shot; either way, he couldn't simply wait for the attack itself to wear him down.

But it appeared that Lance had been deceived.

He felt the tremor below his feet, instinctively looking down at his boots to see what was causing the ground to quake, only to be startled as the ground in front of him suddenly exploded, and a humongous form erupted from the ground, bringing out with it dirt and sand as it emerged and rose up into the air, like a Sharpedo attacking its prey from below. Lance looked up in shock, Hydreigon looked behind it with a start, but was too late to react; Tanker plunged straight at him, throwing all of his weight into Hydreigon head-first with the strongest Iron Head he had ever unleashed.

Hydreigon hit the ground like one of the very meteors he had unleashed only a moment before, sent skidding across the floor like a hockey puck on ice, growling as the blowing sand stung his eyes and angered him further.

"What?!" Lance demanded. "When did he use Dig?!"

"Rock Tomb!" Mark's voice called from beyond the Sandstorm. Barely audible, but enough that Tanker received the command.

Tanker reared back once again, and as before with Garchomp, stones appeared above him and began to bombard the grounded Hydreigon. But the Dark/Dragon-type Pokémon was quick, evading the first volley of stones that would have otherwise crushed him, and turning to face Tanker, attacking with another Fire Blast at Lance's command.

Tanker ducked, narrowly avoiding the attack, and retaliated with yet another Rock Tomb, resuming the bombardment of stones that had Hydreigon ducking and dodging, weaving side-to-side to avoid getting smacked out of the air. One stone had its mark, though, falling towards him from above, but he caught it in the mouths at the end of his arms, shattering it with the force of their bite. Without even awaiting Lance's order, Hydreigon launched Fire Blast again, and Tanker could not avoid a third time, taking the attack to his flank and making him cringe.

Yet somehow, he withstood it, determined not to lose and lunging forth at Hydreigon with another Iron Head. Hydreigon was too focused on dodging the falling rocks to see Tanker coming, bringing his arms up in defense and catching Tanker by his lower jaw in his three mouths.

"Crunch!" Lance ordered.

Hydreigon applied pressure with his three mouths, but Tanker did not even react to the attack; his body was so hard, Crunch did practically nothing despite Steel-types having no resistance to Dark-type moves, and moved to plunge his head straight into the ground with Hydreigon still latched on. "Get away!" Lance ordered, prompting Hydreigon to let go of Tanker and narrowly avoid getting flattened by the diving Steelix. "Now, Fire Blast again!"

Tanker dropped flat to avoid the Fire Blast this time, waiting until it soared over him before he retreated back into the sandstorm he had conjured, once more hiding himself from view as it raged on. More of the blowing sand assailed Hydreigon, irritating him all the more as it bit into his flesh –he swiped his arm at the air as if trying to attack the sand itself, which of course was futile.

"Hydreigon! Keep yourself under control!" Lance ordered his dragon. "We must stay level-headed if we are to win this!"

Hydreigon seemed to calm down a little at Lance's words, but even so, this battle was escalating too quickly; Hydreigon were violent Pokémon by nature, perceiving everything that moves as their enemy, and even one tamed by Lance was at risk of giving in to its battle instincts. He had to end this battle quickly before it came to that.

"Hydreigon; we need to expose that Steelix somehow!" Lance informed. "Use Tailwind to try and blow away the sandstorm!"

Following Lance's instructions, Hydreigon splayed out its six wings, flying higher to get a better angle from above, and thrust its arms forward, unleashing a powerful windstorm from seemingly nowhere, blowing into the whirling sandstorm filling up the room and concealing Tanker from sight, all the while Lance kept watch for anymore attempts to get the drop on Hydreigon with another Rock Tomb or to come at him from below with Dig.

The Tailwind blew into the Sandstorm, and soon the two weather forces collided, the visible sand become distorted and blowing apart in places as it raged on against the Sandstorm. It seemed to be working, though; the Sandstorm was clearing, slowly being blown apart by the windstorm, until finally Tanker was unveiled, waiting in the middle of the storm along with Mark, still right where he had been before.

"Tanker, Rock Tomb!" Mark called to his Steelix, once more bringing on the onslaught of falling stones for Hydreigon to try and avoid.

Unlike before, however, Hydreigon wasn't successful; the battle was starting to wear him down, and he had become slower. One of the falling boulders struck him and knocked him out of the air. Tanker then rushed forward and tried to land an Iron Head on him, but even slowed the Hydreigon still dodged just in time to avoid damage.

"Now, Fire Blast, one more time!" Lance called out.

"Dig!"

Tanker plunged into the ground before Hydreigon could launch the attack, tunneling to safety just in time as the fire blast exploded where he had been standing a second before. Tanker was heard burrowing below the ground as Hydreigon caught its breath, drained from using Fire Blast so many times. Seizing the opportunity, Tanker erupted from directly below Hydreigon, launching itself up at him; he banked away just in time, but then Tanker arched himself to fall _over_ Hydreigon, and this time the dragon could not get away as he was smacked by Tanker's jaw in one last Iron Head attack.

Hydreigon was sent hurting to the ground like a spiked tennis ball, even bouncing like one too before he slid to a stop on the stone floor. The dragon growled ferally, trying to push himself up to resume fighting, but he collapsed, and lay still on the stone floor.

"Hydreigon?" Lance called, but his dragon didn't respond.

The battle was over.

"You did it!" Randy exclaimed. "You won, man!"

Mark released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, calming his nerves. In the meantime, Lance recalled Hydreigon to his Poké Ball and Tanker devolved back to the form of a regular Steelix. Only then did Lance let the shock of the defeat set in, dropping to one knee as he felt suddenly weak in one knee, eyes falling to the floor.

"My dragons..." He whispered. "We lost."

"Lance?" Mark called. "Are you okay?"

He watched, waiting for the Dragon Master to reply. For a moment, Lance was silent, his mind swimming, searching for some answer as to where he went wrong. But after a while, he stood up, his expression softened as he looked across the room to Mark. "I'm fine," he assured, smiling gently as he and Mark crossed the battlefield to meet each other. "Well done, Mark; that was an amazing battle."

"Well done yourself," Mark returned, smiling back as he and Lance shook hands. "I don't think I've had a match that exciting since my battle with Randy for the Hoenn Championship title."

"Indeed?" Lance asked, looking past Mark at the other trainer. "Perhaps next time I should battle him, to see how we compare."

Randy laughed light-heartedly, grinning. "Anytime you want, dragon man."

Lance laughed as well, before he looked at Mark again. "I want to go over that battle with you a little bit, but first, how about we all get some lunch? And since you won, it'll be my treat."

"Sounds great!" Mark agreed, nodding and looking back at Tanker and Fang. "What do you think, guys?"

Both elicited growls of agreement; Fang was even wagging his tail at the idea, quite famished from the battle himself, although Mark suddenly stiffened as he remembered how hurt Fang's mouth was; it was doubtful that it'd be safe for him to eat anything too solid with his mouth all torn up from his battle with Garchomp.

"Er... but first, I'd say a visit to the Pokémon Center is in order."

"An excellent suggestion," agreed Lance.

* * *

The front yard outside of the league was alive with activity as eighteen Pokémon enjoyed a meal together in the sun. Mark, Lance and Randy had let out their partners to treat them to lunch, and for them all to meet one another while their trainers went over the details of the battle, sitting at the top of the stairway leading up to the main doors as they conversed, where they could watch their Pokémon from closeby, and still have the quiet they needed for their conversation, while enjoying sandwiches and lemonade bought from the store.

They had just reached the discussion of Mark's final battle plan for taking on Hydreigon, and how he had come up with the strategy. Lance listened attentively, and waited until Mark was finished before he tried to narrow down the details. "So at first, you thought the floor we were on was solid stone?"

"I did," Mark replied. "And that was a miscalculation on my part, particularly after I saw Garchomp use Bulldoze and even that didn't tell me immediately. It wasn't until I snapped out of my little panic episode that I finally realized it. I saw how the ground seemingly bent upwards, and only then it dawned on me, stone doesn't bend, therefore the floor _couldn't_ have been entirely stone."

Lance chuckled. "Indeed, it's an honest mistake, and one of the challenges of the League –to understand your surroundings. I had the room renovated after I caught Garchomp _and_ Flygon, knowing that if they couldn't use their ground-type moves I'd be denying them an array of possible attacks. So I hired an expert engineering crew to rework the floor of the champion's room without causing any problems to the foundation."

"I see," Mark returned. "Anyway, once I had that figured out, I knew I could use Dig to get Tanker out of danger. The biggest obstacle I had to work around was having only two attacks that would actually affect Hydreigon; such limitations would get predictable after a while, and when that happens you need to get a little unconventional."

"Like the way Steelix used Iron Head, and his repeated barrages with Rock Tomb to keep the pressure on Hydreigon even from afar."

"Bingo. Furthermore, Sandstorm also allowed Tanker to stay hidden until he could attack, which was _really_ handy when I found out Hydreigon could use Fire Blast. Two shots from that and Tanker would've been toast. Another thing I came up with was the hopes I could force Hydreigon into melee combat; at that range, Tanker would've had every edge."

"In the end your tactics prevailed over my team," Lance commented. "That was very well done. I'm impressed you figured out my opening strategy with Dragonite, to gauge my opponents and their fighting style."

"Usually, the only reason a trainer would use such a powerful Pokémon on the first round would be to get an early advantage on their opponent," Mark explained, taking a sip from his can of lemonade before he continued. "It's a simple but effective approach, and one I've seen many trainers adopt. But you have a near-perfect battle record and have been the Kanto Champion for seven years –there's no _way_ your strategy could have been that simple.

"And sure enough, it wasn't. You had taken a simple strategy and _transformed_ it into something far more advanced; by switching up your Dragonites you never have the same one twice, so a returning opponent who thinks they know how to beat it would get caught completely off-guard when they're faced with a completely different Pokémon. Alternatively, you also increase your chances of choosing the right Pokémon first to gain the early advantage a power team like yours depends on. Even then you had a backup plan, bringing along a highly balanced and diverse team, including a defensive tank like Gooda and speedy Pokémon like Flygon and Garchomp."

Lance clapped his hands at Mark's analysis. "Very good, Mark," he said, chuckling light-heartedly. "It is fortunate for me that you aren't a trainer from Kanto, else I think I'd be passing on the mantle of Champion right about now!"

Mark shared the laugh. "Maybe so," he said.

"Now, I would like to ask you something," began Lance.

"Yes?"

"Mega Evolution," Lance began. "I have not seen it before; heard of it, and I know Red himself has a Pokémon that can use it. I feel it may be the next step to raising my Pokémon to the next level." He looked squarely at Mark. "What else can you tell me about it? And do I have any Pokémon that are capable of it?"

Mark considered Lance's question briefly, thinking back before answering Lance. "As a matter of fact, you do," he replied. "One of whom you used in our battle. Garchomp."

"Garchomp can Mega Evolve?"

Mark nodded. "Yep. You need two things though, before you can do it. Let me show you." Mark looked up, peering into the crowd of Pokémon and spotting Vitesse among them, calling out to her and asking her to come over. Randy did the same, calling for the three Pokémon he had that were capable of Mega Evolution, namely Skyclaw, Thorn and Cairo. All four Pokémon approached at their trainer's call, lining up at the bottom of the stairs as the three stood up and descended to meet them.

"See this here?" Mark asked, reaching over to Vitesse's shoulder and tapping the harness she wore across her chest, in which her mega stone was housed. "This stone here is a Blazikenite –it's the Mega Stone for Blaziken. While Vitesse has it on her, she can Mega Evolve whenever I need her to, and she becomes a Mega Blaziken."

"Is it really as simple as that?" Lance asked.

"Not quite," Mark continued. "Notice the stones on Randy's Pokémon?"

Lance turned to look where Mark pointed, first to Cairo, who wore his stone like a necklace, noting the amber colour of the stone's exterior, and the shape inside of it which was curling and twisting like a DNA strand, and was blue and red. He then moved onto Thorn, to the gladiator-style harness he wore on his chest that housed his own stone, which was a light green on the outside, with a darker green and red on the inside with its inside shape. Finally, he looked at the stone Skyclaw wore as a choker on her neck, which was white on the outside, and red and blue inside. At first he was excited to know that a Salamence could Mega Evolve, but the difference between the stones suddenly dawned on him.

"They're all different colours," he said. "So... each stone is specific to a certain Pokémon?"

"That's correct," Mark explained. "You can't just find any Mega Stone and stick it onto any Pokémon that you know is capable of Mega Evolution –if it's not the specific stone for their species, it won't do a thing." He gestured to Vitesse. "if I were to put her stone on another Blaziken, it could work, provided I have the other requirements. But if I stuck that onto Cairo, or gave it to a Blaziken's pre-evolved form, Combusken, it'd just be a paperweight to them. Basically useless."

"And it gets even more complicated from there," Randy went on, fishing into his shirt to pull out the amulet that housed his keystone. "See this here?"

"Just like the one Mark has," commented Lance.

"Yep. This is a keystone," Randy explained. "Think of having the mega stone as step one; having this is step two. It works in sync with any mega stone so you don't need to have more than one, but it's through _this_ stone that you can prompt a Pokémon to Mega Evolve."

"And is there are third step?" Lance inquired.

"Yes," Mark began. "A Pokémon will only Mega Evolve for a trainer it has a close bond with. You see, Mega Evolution is triggered by the trainer, not the Pokémon itself, and it draws upon _their_ power to evolve further. But if the trainer doesn't care about their Pokémon or vice versa, they won't Mega Evolve no matter how many times you touch the keystone."

"I think I understand," Lance stated, putting a hand to his chin in thought. "So if I wanted Garchomp to Mega Evolve, I need to find a Mega Stone for him and a keystone for myself, and I need to be certain that Garchomp trusts me enough that he'll mega evolve."

"That's right," Mark explained. "But there's one last thing you need to consider."

"What's that?"

"Mega Evolution is _not_ without risk," Mark explained. "When a Pokémon undergoes it for the first time, it can have adverse side effects."

Lance's expression turned from curious to concerned as Mark explained. "Side effects? Like what?"

"For some, their new power is hard to master," Mark explained. "Some Pokémon gain special abilities that change the whole way they can battle, but going into battle without practicing these abilities could be catastrophic." He looked at Vitesse. "When Vitesse Mega Evolves, she gains a power called 'Speed Boost'; her speed continues to increase as the battle continues, until she becomes faster than the blink of an eye.

"However, when she first Mega Evolved and tried it out, she couldn't control her speed; we underestimated how fast she'd become and how quickly the ability kicked in. She lost control of her sprint; I lost sight of her and I guess she ended up in a nearby copse of trees; when Palm Tree and I found her she had collided with one of them and knocked herself senseless. I was worried a _worse_ injury could've happened if we weren't careful, so we spent two months training to master it after that."

"There have also been incidents where a Lucario Mega Evolved and its new power had an unfortunate effect on its mind," Randy continued, looking at Cairo. "When they become a Mega Lucario their Aura becomes _really_ powerful, so much so that without proper training they can't control it, and it overwhelms their senses, causing them to go into a blind rage –almost like a berserker. That almost happened to Cairo when I first evolved him; he struggled to stay in focused and then forcefully devolved himself to get it under control." Randy visibly shuddered, reliving that memory. "That... was one _really_ scary time."

Lance narrowed his eyes, humming in thought as he considered everything the two trainers told him, before he let out a sigh. "It seems there is much to Mega Evolution I will need to understand before I attempt to utilize it myself."

"If you want sound advice from a real expert in the field, you'll want to speak to Professor Sycamore of Kalos," Mark advised. "He's the world's leading authority on Mega Evolution; everything that there is to know, he'll be able to tell you. Kalos is also the ideal place to look for a lot of Mega Stones; most I think are actually found there."

"Then I suppose I will have to make a trip over to Kalos sometime in the near future," Lance stated, and smiled and nodded at the two trainers. "Thank you all for sharing this information with me. If I ever find a Mega Stone, Mark, I hope you will come back and challenge me again, so that I may test my Pokémon against you once more."

Mark smiled and nodded back to Lance. "I would welcome a rematch with you, Lance."

"I suppose you will be on your way then, soon, to find and challenge Kanto's greatest trainer?" Lance inquired.

Mark's smiled faded somewhat, and he once again nodded his head. "Yes. There's still one trainer I need to battle here in Kanto before I take my journey to new places."

With a final nod to Mark, Lance held out his hand to the former Hoenn Champion. "Then I wish you the best of luck, my friend," he stated, meeting Mark's gaze as he grasped Lance's hand. "I truly think you have the potential to succeed in your journey; you have great strength. But your next opponent is a living legend among Pokémon Trainers the world over. You will need to bring _everything_ you have if you are to have a chance. There will be no room for error against Red."

"I understand," Mark returned. "I will face Red only when I'm prepared."

They pulled back their hands, and Lance called out to his Pokémon, telling them it was time to head back. They quickly rallied to his side, bidding goodbye to their new friends among Mark and Randy's Pokémon, who parted to let them get to the stairs and accompany Lance back to the main terminal building, leaving Mark and Randy to stare after him until he disappeared through the doors, and left the two to consider their next move.

"So, where we heading to next; on to Pewter to find Red?" Randy asked.

"No... not yet," Mark replied.

"Why not?" Randy inquired.

"Because I'm not ready to take on Red yet," Mark replied, turning to look at Vitesse, who shared his uncertainty. "Our battle today proved that."

"You beat the freaking _Champion_ of Kanto, and Red's rival, Blue; how much more proof do you need that you're ready?"

"We're just not," Mark stated firmly. "My battles... first with Blue, and with Lance. I may have won them both, but looking back on them now I could have done _so_ much better, and I can finally see where I've been going all wrong. Against Blue, my primary tactic –to save Palm Tree to take on Blastoise, worked like a charm. But that strategy did _not_ work against Lance; I knew he had a Hydreigon and I was pretty sure he was bringing it for this battle, but I wasn't able to save either of the Pokémon I intended to use for it, relying on Tanker to win the battle, but even after that I _still_ don't even know what Mega Steelix's power is! At this point I'm wondering how the hell I even won."

Mark shook his head. "I can't keep going like this, not against the competition I'm facing. Especially not how I went today; I should've had another contingency –I even had the means to do so in the form of Scyther but I was so eager to battle Lance I didn't bother taking the time to do so. Scyther would've had more of a chance against Hydreigon than even Tanker did. But even before that, the way I battle Goodra is further sign of my blundering; I knew nothing about Goodra and assumed Siren's increased attack strength would be enough, but it wasn't, and then I bumbled Vitesse right into a trap, losing _her_ too."

Mark looked squarely at Randy. "Blue was right about them needing more training, but I do too. I need to get back into practicing with them –properly this time, and start studying again; I'm going to finally learn what Tanker and Scyther are capable of so that the next time I battle with them, I'll be ready. Furthermore, both Lance _and_ my mom showed me that I've been way too impulsive, and refused to acknowledge it, not to mention my _worst_ mistake today, when I started panicking when Hydreigon showed up. If it wasn't for Fang snapping me out of it, and prompting me to take the time to analyze the situation, we'd have lost."

Randy listened to Mark's long, drawn-out speech about his imperfections, clearly having trouble piecing together how Mark could be so distraught even though he had won. "Why isn't it just enough for you that you beat Lance?"

"A strategist learns from their battles, in victory and _especially_ from defeat, and ascertains where he can find improvement," Mark stated. "Besides..." His gaze fell somewhat. "Lance gave me a handicap when he told me where I went wrong after Vitesse lost to Goodra –he wanted the battle to be fair, and it was only by pointing out my mistake that it remained such. _Any_ other trainer would've taken advantage of my blundering; it's pretty unlikely _all_ of my opponents are as going to be as generous as he was. I didn't want to say it to him, but I don't consider this battle a _full_ win, not knowing that my own opponent had to help me fix my errors."

Randy let out a long, exasperated sigh. "You have got to be the only guy I've met who will pick apart his victories to find all of the details –good and bad," he commented, sighing. "I'd tell you nobody's perfect, but I don't think that'd be enough to convince you otherwise. Maybe you're right; maybe there _is_ more you can do." He smiled at Mark. "So why the hell not? I'll even help you train if you want."

"You will?" Mark asked.

"Sure. I _really_ want to see you take on Red, but these past few days I think I also really want to see you win," he said. "Besides, this journey you're on is going to take you places, and I'd be stupid not to hang around to see how it goes –I might as well earn my keep by helping you see it through."

Mark smiled at Randy, feeling quite humbled by his generosity and that he was so eager to see this journey through –even if it was not _his_ journey. He nodded gratefully to him. "Thanks man."

"Let's use the rest of the time we have this week for training," said Randy. "And then, we should go to the convention; take a little break, then get back to it. Soon as you're all set, we'll find Red, and you can have your _epic_ clash with Kanto's living legend."

Mark's smiled broadened. "Now _there_ is a good plan," he said.

Their Pokémon elicited cries of agreement, motivated by Randy's words. Thus, it was official; the journey about to rise to a whole new level, and it would be up to them, working together as a team, to be prepared for it. The entire adventure had been started by Mark, but it was Randy's adventure now too.

With their plan set, the two trainers gathered up their Pokémon, mounted up onto their fliers, and left the Indigo Plateau behind, to find a place where they could train in peace, and prepare for the greater challenges that still lay ahead...

* * *

Note to Readers:

Some of you may have noticed Tanker suddenly knowing Defense Curl instead of Iron Defense as he was using in a previous chapter. Well it turns out Steelix actually can't _learn_ Iron Defense –which, even now to me makes no sense, but even if I'm breaking the rule of Pokémon only knowing four moves, I'm not going to break the rule of what attacks they can and cannot learn –with the exception of Thorn having 'Tree Missile' which, isn't a real attack, but should have been in my honest opinion.

Anyway, I just wanted to clear that up; I made I mistake and I'll probably go back to the last chapter where Tanker used Iron Defense to make corrections. We're now in the final stretch of this arc with only a few chapters left!


	11. Chapter 10

Four days passed since Mark's battle with Lance, the Dragon Master and Champion of Kanto. Four days and nights since they had left the Indigo Plateau and sought out a suitable, secluded location where they could train, to unlock the secret power of Tanker's mega-evolved form, and learn the potential of Mark's new friend, Scyther, whom he still had yet to give a nickname to as he wanted to give him one suitable to his talents.

Though it had taken most of the first day to find the secluded location they wanted, eventually the two Hoenn trainers had settled for a large clearing in the forest south of Mt. Moon, halfway between the high ridge and the coast west of Vermilion City. No civilization for miles from that location; they would be able to train in solitude, and prepare Mark for his final challenge in Kanto.

And there they had stayed, camping in the woods, with Mark working as hard as he could to make his Pokémon as strong as possible. He wasn't going to rush into things this time like he had with Blue and Lance; he spent every night thinking of training regimes for the following day, and prior to their departure he bought several study books to help him learn how best to interact with Scyther, since he had _no_ experience in training bug-type Pokémon whatsoever, and some about Steel and Ground-type Pokémon abilities, hoping they might help him find some clues to finding out what Tanker's special power was when he mega evolved.

That day was dedicated mostly to practicing attacks; the last few had been mostly exercise and strategizing. Mark had raced Scyther against the fastest runners on both his team and Randy's; first Coal, Vitesse, and then Cairo and Thorn. Much to the dismay of Randy who _only_ used fast Pokémon, Scyther actually out sped the Sceptile once he started flying over the ground, his gossamer wings carrying him at speeds even Skyclaw couldn't reach, although Scyther could not fly as high as her. Beyond that, Scyther displayed excellent control and technique with his movements, able to change direction and avoid obstacles with remarkable agility.

' _Your former trainer raised you_ very _well, Scyther,'_ Mark thought after watching Scyther in action, seeing the love and dedication the now departed ranger had put into raising his Pokémon. Mark could only hope that he'd be able to treat Scyther the same way.

Now, it was onto the real practice, and Mark was ready to drill Scyther to find out what his attacks were; he had a grasp of Scyther's potential, now he wanted to know how best to deploy it, with his study books on Bug-types in hand, and Scyther standing ready and waiting for his first instructions. It surprised Mark how cooperative that Scyther was being, despite Mark not being his actual trainer, which to him made it all the more important to stay on Scyther's good side, else he start to view him as a lesser trainer than his former master.

"Alright Scyther," Mark began as he found a page in the book that covered attacks Scyther could learn, from moves learned by experience all the way to ones he could learn from Pokémon tutors or technical machines. "It's time to find out just what you can do; you ready?"

Scyther nodded, and Mark instructed him to go over every attack his trainer had taught him. Scyther moved to a minimum safe distance, while Randy prepped himself to toss some suitable targets into the air -bundles of dry sticks tied together with twine. He threw the first one up, and Scyther sprang into action, slashing at the bundle repeatedly with his blades, each slash cutting through more easily than the neck until the dead sticks fell to pieces to the ground.

"That looked like Fury Cutter," Randy commented.

Mark nodded in confirmation after finding its entry in the book. "That was it alright; a move that gets progressively stronger as it lands consecutive hits. Perfect with Scyther's speed." He circled the attack in the book. "Next."

Up went the next target; Scyther sprang up and swung his blades again -only twice this time, and performing the attack in only one motion, spinning himself in a full three-sixty to slash the bundle into three chunks, where it fell apart and dropped to the ground.

"Did he use Fury Cutter again?" Randy asked.

"No, actually, I think that was Double-Hit," Mark replied. "It's a Normal-type move -good if we go up against a type that's resistant to bug-type moves like a Poison, Fighting or Flying-type, all of which are normally affected by Normal-type moves." He nodded again after circling the entry. "Next!"

This time, when Scyther attacked the target, he struck it with his wing, snapping the bundle in half with the force of the hit, and both Mark and Randy simultaneously agreed "Wing Attack," before moving onto the next, where Scyther motioned for Randy to throw the target low for him this time, and he moved as if about to strike it with a kick only to course correct and slash it with his blade. They had a bit more trouble determining what attack that was, and so they called out Cairo to test it, as Mark determined Scyther couldn't learn any attacks that were effective against Steel-types -except Vacuum Wave or Night Slash, neither of which he had shown so far, and so Cairo was the safest to test it.

Cairo brandished his bone rush as Scyther moved it, and was tricked into a defensive posture when Scyther moved in to strike, only to find out that the Scyther had faked him out, going for his unprotected side and smacking him in the hip with the flat of his blade, making the Lucario yelp and rub his side with one paw, holding his bone rush with his free one. Randy could not suppress a snicker, even when Cairo frowned at him.

"Ah, now I see," Mark stated. "That was Feint; a Normal-type move meant for getting through defenses. Apparently goes right through attacks like Protect, King's Shield and even Mat Block. Quite a handy ability." He looked over the four attacks, and seemed to spot a pattern. "Now _this_ is interesting."

"What's up?" Randy asked.

"All of the attacks Scyther has shown us so far are categorized as fairly low power moves," he commented, and then looked at Scyther. "Do you know any other techniques?"

Scyther nodded, and motioned for Cairo to step away as the Scyther prepared to demonstrate his last remaining attacks. He elevated his blades, his expression turning stern, and suddenly duplicates of Scyther began to appear around him, forming like holographic projections before seeming to become solid, each of them even letting out Scyther's cry as he crossed his blades in front of him and began to spin in place as blue, sword-like lights appeared around each one of them, scattering as Scyther stopped spinning, holding its blades in a vertical form before resuming his original stance.

"And that would be?" Randy asked.

"I think it was Swords Dance," Mark replied. "The second one I mean; he used Double-team first."

"So, his offensive attacks are Feint, Double-Hit, Fury Cutter and Wing Attack, while his status-improving moves are Double Team and Swords Dance," Randy analyzed. "But why are all of his offensive attacks so weak? I would think a Pokémon Ranger would employ more powerful moves for dealing with poachers or rogue Pokémon."

"I may have a theory about that," Mark began. "Scyther commonly learns one of two abilities; Swarm, or Technician. Swarm is basically just like Blaze, Overgrowth or Torrent -when the Pokémon is on its last legs, its main-typing attacks -in this case Bug-type moves- get a tremendous power boost."

"But Scyther only showed one Bug-type move; Fury Cutter," Randy pointed out.

"Exactly," returned Mark. "I'm thinking Scyther's old trainer taught him fairly weak moves on purpose as a tactical choice, because he knows Technician and the moves would be made stronger, while taking advantage of the abilities of his chosen attacks."

Randy perked up as Mark concluded his explanation, nodding in agreement. "That makes sense, actually," he said. "Most weak attacks have secondary abilities, and while some strong attacks do too the weaker attacks will often be more likely to trigger the secondary ability, like Ember being more likely to cause a burn than, say, Flamethrower."

"Precisely," Mark replied. "Scyther was taught these weaker attacks for the boost they get from technician, and he was given attacks that would benefit most from it; Fury Cutter gains more power as it strikes, and the first strike is _already_ powered up by type-boost and technician, so that first hit is going to hurt quite a bit -enough that the second or third hit might take them out right then and there."

"Add on Swords Dance and boom! You've got a heavy-hitting speed demon," Randy commented.

"There may be other attacks I can teach him that can take advantage of technician, but Fury Cutter, Double Hit and Feint benefit most from him having this ability so far," Mark concluded, marking his place in his book via folded corner before closing it and setting it aside.

Randy watched as Mark pondered what to do next, and then a thought occurred to him, prompting him to speak out. "Hey, Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember that convention I was telling you that I was coming out here for?"

"Sure; what about it?"

"Well it... starts tomorrow," replied Randy. "You think we have time to go?"

Mark grimaced slightly, going over the suggestion in his mind. "Well we're not exactly on a schedule," he said. "But I'm loathe to abandon training so soon."

"Who said anything about abandoning? We can just wrap it up today, take a couple of days rest and then come right back to resume it," suggested Randy. "It's not like you can't hang around in Kanto for too long; your journey doesn't have a time constraint."

"True, it doesn't," admitted Mark with a nod. "Okay, we'll go. I suppose a break _is_ in order -we jumped right into training right after the battle with Lance, and Blue's wasn't long before that either. I imagine some of the others are pretty weary."

"Then it's a deal! Let's work hard today, rest up, and then head to Celadon City first thing in the morning."

* * *

Mark and Randy set out the following morning after rounding up their Pokémon to ensure they were fed and watered -at least those who required water- for the trip. They left their camp mostly intact as they did not feel concerned about anyone coming to rob the site while they were gone -not when they were so far from civilization. Although just the same they did not leave behind anything that might have been a tempting target for thieves; important things like Poké Balls and provisions.

Within hours of flying, the skylines of the jewel of Kanto were in sight; the famous metropolis known as Celadon City. Celadon was the most populated city in all of Kanto, even more so than its easterly neighbour of Saffron City, which although was larger in size, Celadon had the largest population. Likely due to how small the number of houses were -Celadon seemed to focus largely on apartments and condominiums instead of residential areas, and with such high density homes they could use less space to house more people.

Celadon was a city with countless attractions, including its famous department store where any person, Pokémon trainer or otherwise, could find exactly what they required. It was visited daily by Pokémon Trainers looking to challenge the Grass-type Gym at the southwestern corner of the city, where a trainer could attempt to earn an official badge for the Pokémon League. Tourists looking for some enjoyment could visit the game corner at the center of the city, with slot machines, card tables and other addictive games where a person could lose their entire paycheck. In other words, a casino... one that allowed _children_ as well.

Yeah... nothing wrong with that at all, thought Mark.

But, the city had a much darker secret to it from a not so distant past. Below the Game Corner was a former hideout belonging to Team Rocket -the notorious game of Pokémon thieves, thugs and criminals that once terrorized the entire continent until their disbandment seven -almost eight years prior. It was revealed that they had actually opened up the game corner, and that the Pokémon and rare items being given as prizes in the Game Corner's adjacent prize store, were actually their ill-gotten gains -stolen Pokémon and items, pawned off to strangers.

Mark couldn't even imagine how traumatic that must have been for stolen Pokémon in particular; to be taken from their trainer and then handed off to another one, after enduring who knew what kind of abuse under Team Rocket.

Mark shook his head to clear it; why was he thinking about such a thing right now? He was supposed to be here on a _break,_ not thinking about the past. Red had defeated Team Rocket long ago, the international police had frozen all of Team Rocket's assets and worked to right the wrongs committed by the criminals. They were nothing more than a memory now.

 _Yeah, now there's the Syndicate instead,_ a depressing mini Mark from his subconscious said. Mark wanted to kick that mini him, but the act of doing so could have been quite painful... for himself.

Following Randy who rode on the back of Skyclaw, Mark and Palm Tree descended towards the city streets below. At first Mark expected they would be going directly to the place of the convention but it seemed Randy had other plans for the start of their visit to Celadon. He was heading for the western side of the city, towards an area that looked to be fairly new compared to the rest of the city; brand new houses and businesses erected along the western road leading out of Celadon. Their destination appeared to be a laundromat, and next door to it was a larger structure called 'Celadon Bath House'.

Finding a clearing in the streets, the two flying Pokémon touched down on the paved streets below, where their trainers could dismount and walk on their own feet again. Mark petted Palm Tree's neck gratefully as he looked up at the laundry and bath house respectively. "Randy, why'd you bring us here? I thought we were heading to the convention."

"We've got about an hour before it starts," explained Randy. "But we need to stop here first; we haven't showered in five days and we probably both stink like a Grimer right now. Plus, our clothes are filthy; we really can't go into a public place like a convention looking like this."

Mark shrugged. "I suppose you _do_ have a point," he commented, looking at the clothes he was wearing; his green and blue flannel shirt _was_ dirty and smelled rather foul, and his pants had dried mud caking the calves. Not to mention his black vest, still covered in mud from when Vitesse had hurtled him off of his feet during their sparring match back at the league. "A shower and a wash probably _would_ do us some good."

"These buildings are connected on the inside too, so we can literally go right into the bath house after we drop off our clothes," Randy explained.

Mark nodded in approval as he reached for Palm Tree's Poké Ball and recalled the Tropius. "I'm impressed; you really thought out this whole visit."

"Been planning this trip for months; I should _hope_ I thought it through," replied Randy as he recalled Skyclaw to her Poké Ball and approached the laundromat, with Mark following close behind, curious to see what the bath house would be like.

Once inside the laundromat, Randy showed Mark where to go, having been to this place before. He led the trainer to the back of the laundromat, through a side doorway that led to a pair of locker rooms where they could store their belongings, and offered complimentary bath robes to visitors. _This place has_ all _the conveniences,_ thought Mark with intrigue.

Stripping themselves of their clothes and gear, they stored their backpacks into the lockers, except for their Poké Balls; Mark detached the holster for his from the inside of his vest to keep with him as he retrieved a bath robe. Of course they came in a variety of sizes, but even the tallest one didn't quite fit him, barely hanging past his knees. Still, it was enough, and it even had a pocket for his Poké Ball holster. With that he carried his dirty clothes out into the laundromat, loading them into a machine and adding soap from a dispenser next to the machine, setting it and leaving it as he headed for the bath house.

Randy was quick to follow him after loading up his own laundry, leading him to the front desk where they could check in. Mark was surprised to find out that visits to the bath house were complimentary for travelling Pokémon Trainers; he learned from Randy that this was part of the tourism policies for Celadon City, since so many trainers visited it every day, and so the mayor's office itself actually funded the bath house directly.

They headed towards the yard where the baths were located, letting their female Pokémon out into the female area to enjoy themselves, while taking the rest with them into the male's area. The bath was a large, in-ground jacuzzi, fed by high-powered jets and warmed through artificial means, but even if it was just a pale imitation of a hot spring, it would suffice.

Letting out their Pokémon first, Mark and Randy immersed themselves in the hot water, joined by several of their companions. Coal remained outside of the bath -for obvious reasons- instead taking to napping off to the side while the others soaked. But just as Mark was immersed down to his waist, he was suddenly splashed by Shadow who cannon-balled into the center of the pool and sent water everywhere.

"Shadow! This isn't a swimming pool you ditz!" Randy called out to his Zoroark, and then found himself laughing as Shadow emerged from the water rubbing his back; he'd hurt himself when he'd collided with the stone bottom of the bath, as it was only waist deep.

The Zoroark received an unimpressed look from Cairo that, to Mark, seemed like he was saying 'You deserved that'. Shadow only glared back at the Lucario in response before finding a spot to sit down.

Mark found a space to sit against the wall, using the hot water jets to massage the muscles in his back and the ones in the floor for his feet as he leaned back and exhaled deeply to relax himself, enjoying the hot water. "Nothing like the hot springs in Lavaridge, but, this is still pretty good," he commented.

"Yeah; does the trick," Randy replied. "Plus, it's free; hard to argue with that."

"True enough," Mark replied, watching as Fang swam past him through the shallow water to make room for Palm Tree and Scyther.

Mark observed the mantis-like Pokémon as he lowered himself into the water, recoiling a little from the heat but quickly adjusting to it and letting himself lower in up to his shoulders. Mark studied Scyther closely as he basked in the water; when they had first started training in the forests, Scyther was often shy around the other Pokémon, but as Palm Tree climbed into the water next to him he did not seem as bothered. It was true that Scyther appeared to have adjusted quite well to his new team, but Mark still wondered if maybe the mantis was just hiding his true feelings -Scyther were born warriors, body, mind and soul, and a warrior never showed their weakness.

"So, have you thought of a name?"

Mark glanced over at Randy after hearing the question. "Sorry?"

"For Scyther; have you thought of a name for him yet?"

"Oh yeah." Honestly, he had forgotten up until Randy had mentioned it at that moment; Mark had been more focused on training than naming his new partner. He looked back at Scyther, who was now staring back at him, tilting his head curiously at Mark. "Let's see now..." Mark mumbled out loud as he put his hand to his chin in though. "Scyther, you're fast, agile, very multi-functional in battle with the attacks you've been taught, and although some of them seem rather weak, your ability compensates for them."

He hummed a little bit, going over in his head what sort of things Scyther reminded him of. _'Sharp blade, swift in motion, seemingly weak but actually quite potent,'_ he repeated in his mind a few times, until finally a word came to mind. "Sabre," he said.

"Sabre? Like, Sabre-toothed tiger?" Randy asked.

"No; sabre as in a type of sword," Mark replied. "A sabre was a curved blade that was smaller than other swords like a katana or a broadsword, but it turned out to actually be quite effective; it delivered a deadly cut, it was fast and it was the weapon of choice for cavalry during the renaissance era -when used while the rider was in motion it was even more powerful." He gestured to Scyther. "The perfect name for a swift and deadly Pokémon."

"Why not call him katana? That was a plenty fast sword too," Randy reminded.

"A samurai on foot isn't as fast as a rider on horseback," Mark returned firmly. "And the katana was a two-handed sword; not ideal as a cavalry weapon."

"I... suppose that makes sense," Randy returned. "But didn't samurai ride on horseback too?"

"Some did, but they were mostly foot soldiers, and those on horseback would probably either be using a spear or a lighter sword for battle," returned Mark, before he turned his attention to Scyther. "So, what do you think; does the name Sabre work for you?"

Scyther nodded his head, eliciting a shrill growl in reply to Mark. "Then Sabre it is," the trainer returned, smiling at the Scyther.

A short while later, the two stepped out of the baths to go transfer their clothes to a drier, and then returned to the baths for a few more minutes before collecting their Pokémon and stepping out. They waited in the laundromat for the rest of their laundry to finish drying and cool off, before slipping into some clean clothes. With that, they were ready to head to the convention and see the sights.

At this time, Vitesse was out of her ball, feeling refreshed after the visit to the baths and wanting to stretch her legs for a while, which Mark was happy to oblige, letting her walk with him as they headed through the city.

"So, Randy; where exactly _is_ the convention being held?" Mark inquired from his travelling companion.

"Oh, in the basement of the department store," replied Randy. "They cleared the whole place out just for this event; people can shop 'till they drop on the floors above and enjoy the convention below."

"Mutually beneficial for both sides," Mark commented.

"Yup. And there will be a lot of trainers in attendance; Gym Leaders from all over Kanto and Johto are coming here, and there are probably going to be lots of battles too."

Randy nodded in agreement. "Speaking of battles, how do you plan to beat that Charizard Red has; the one that Blue was talking about?" Randy asked. "That Mega Charizard?"

"Still working on that," replied Mark. "Without seeing it for myself I don't really have a lot to go on, and Red hasn't used it in any official battles. So far all we know is that Charizard is a Fire/Flying-type; going by typing a Rock-type would be devastating to such a combination."

"Do any of your Pokémon besides Tanker know Rock-type moves?"

"Not a one," returned Mark. "And even if they did, Charizard are known for being pretty quick in the air. Rock-type moves are powerful but very difficult to land on speedy opponents." He rubbed his chin in thought, glancing at his Blaziken once more. "In the end, I think Vitesse may be the only one who can take him."

"But she's a Fighting-type and Charizard's part Flying-type; she'd be at a disadvantage," Randy reminded, and then glanced at the Blaziken. "No offense, girl; just stating facts."

She shrugged her shoulders at Randy's comment, and went back to listening to her trainer.

"I know she's a Fighting-type, but she's also the only one I have who can use an Electric-type attack, which you saw how well worked against Dragonite," Mark reminded. "Besides, with her running speed and jumping ability she's the only one who could even _catch_ Charizard."

Randy grimaced. "I suppose you have a point," he admitted. "Geez man, why did you never catch an Electric-type Pokémon?"

Mark groaned. "This again? I've already explained it," he returned.

"Right, sorry," returned Randy, before turning his gaze forward again. "Ah, we're here."

Mark followed his gaze, and saw that they were coming up to the front doors of the Celadon department store, where the convention was being held. Without another word, he followed Randy through the doors and into the store. They stepped into the lobby of the multi-floored shopping center, entering across from the information desk into a wide open room that was utterly _packed_ with visitors.

People of all ages were jammed into the front entrance and the room beyond, with the roar of conversation from hundreds of mouths filling the air. Many of the people attending were also accompanied by their Pokémon, only adding to the crowding factor and making it difficult to make their way through the crowds, trying to get to the basement access door.

"Geez, you never said that the entire _country_ would be crammed in here," Mark commented to Randy as he followed him, with Vitesse struggling to stay with her trainer as they weaved their way through the crowds like a sewing needle.

"Are you surprised? These conventions are big events, man."

"What could be so interesting that it would bring the attention of thousands of people all at once?" Mark asked. "I mean, a tournament, I could understand, but this?"

"You'll see," Randy returned, his voice brimming with confidence as they approached the front desk, which now Mark noticed had been turned into a ticket counter for the convention. They had to wait in a short lineup before receiving their tickets for the convention, and were given armbands that would show they were allowed in over the next three days of the convention.

With that, Randy led the way to the basement access stairs, but as they reached the stairwell, Randy stopped. "Looks like we'll have to wait up here."

"Why?"

"That," replied Randy, pointing to indicate a long line of people that were filling the stairwell ahead. "They're waiting for the convention to open."

Mark gawked as he saw entire rows of people crammed in such a confined space, Vitesse sharing in his disbelief, and with that he shook his head. "No freaking way, man."

"What's wrong?"

"You pulled me away from training; that's one thing, but standing all day in a huge line just to get downstairs? No way," returned Mark. "Big waste of time."

"Dude, don't you have any patience?"

"When it counts, yes," returned Mark. "The convention's not even open yet and with a lineup this huge, we'll spend hours just trying to get down _to_ it."

Randy groaned. "Okay, then what do you want to do?"

"We go somewhere else until the line thins out, and then we get in," replied Mark.

"And where do you propose we go until then?"

Mark frowned. "We are in _Celadon City_ , Randy," he reminded. "The biggest tourist trap in Kanto; the question is where go _first."_

Randy rolled his eyes. "I suppose so," he replied. "Okay... where would you suggest?"

"Well we can do some shopping here in the department store," Mark suggested. "I'm thinking that I should stock up on some battle items for my Pokémon -give them a little more of an edge, and maybe a couple of Technical Machines."

"Shopping? _That's_ your idea?"

"If it's for something useful, yes. And the convention's right below so as soon as the line thins out, it's as simple as just going downstairs," returned Mark.

"How about something a little more exciting?" Randy asked. "Maybe the Game Corner?"

"You _really_ want to go to that casino?"

"I've always had pretty good luck at the slots."

Mark shrugged. "I guess if you come to visit Celadon you should check out the Game Corner at least once," he said. "Alright; let's go."

Making their way back through the crowds again the two of them left the Celadon department store's crowded lobby, stepping back out into fresh air again. Taking once more to the streets, Mark once again followed Randy through the city as they made their way to their new, temporary, destination for the time being. Mark welcomed the clearer, quieter sidewalks, having never really been much for crowds, which was why he preferred to usually stay away from public events. He may have agreed to go with Randy to the convention but standing in line for hours on end was never part of that agreement, and he wasn't about to waste precious time just standing around doing nothing.

 _'If you're going to make me stand around at least give me a battle or something,'_ he thought.

Disgruntled, he realized he'd fallen behind a little bit when he felt Vitesse poking his shoulder, and he promptly caught up to Randy as he rounded a corner, walking alongside a house with its own pond instead of a front yard, inhabited by several Water-type Pokémon, from Poliwag to Goldeen and even a few Magikarp. _'Oh, gods help whoever lives in that house if one of those Magikarp becomes a Gyarados,'_ Mark thought, shuddering at the mental image of a Gyarados rising out of that little pond and falling into a rage at its poor accommodations, right in the middle of a highly populated city.

 _'Damn it now I'll never get that out of my head!'_ He cursed himself.

Mark and Randy turned a left, passing in front of the house, and reached the Game Corner right next door. The brightly lit building was _impossible_ to miss, with a bright yellow neon sign bearing its name proudly for all passers to be blinded by, mounted upon a highly decorative building with a variety of colours -it had clearly been repainted recently as it showed no signs of weathering, and the dominant colour that had chosen was white with purple trimming and a burgundy tiled roof, angled such to allow rain to flow off. Its neighbouring building -the Game Corner's prize center, was decorated in a nearly identical fashion with just slightly different shades to the colours.

"Alright; time for some slots," said Randy, sprinting up to the door and entering the game corner.

Mark and Vitesse exchanged a blank stare before they shrugged and stepped into the game corner to join Randy. "What's the harm?" Mark asked aloud, shrugging.

He would come to regret asking that question...

"I officially hate slot machines," Mark growled as he, Vitesse and Randy left the game corner after an hour of enjoying the attractions within.

"Oh come on; it was fun! And you did pretty damn good at the Blackjack tables too; you won seventy coins and exchanged it for a pretty good cash prize," Randy returned.

"Most of which I lost to a trio of spinning reels that I swear six times out of ten landed on Grimer," returned Mark. "Seriously, are those things rigged or what?"

"Maybe," returned Randy, shrugging. "Or just the one you were on was, perhaps. A good rule to follow; leave with what you entered with or leave with more; don't push your luck too far, which is just what you did."

Mark scowled. "I can't believe you scored so high so many times," he remarked.

"I guess the slots like me," replied Randy. "Luck of a leprechaun I suppose."

At that, Mark suddenly imagined a pint-sized Randy in a green outfit, standing next to a pot of gold, but he swiftly forced that from his mind, glancing back at his companion. "I suppose we should head over to the convention now."

"Yep; line should be clear by now," he replied. "Hopefully we didn't miss anything good."

"We've only been gone ninety minutes; what could possibly have happened in that short of time?" Mark asked.

"You'd be surprised; at these conventions, all kinds of things could happen," returned Randy.

Mark was skeptical, but he kept it to himself, not wanting to spoil Randy's mood. "As long as it doesn't involve the Syndicate, I reserve the right to be surprised."

"Amen to that," agreed Randy. "Encountering those guys once is enough for me."

"Be glad you haven't had _two_ run-ins with them," Mark returned. "I hope someone takes them down sooner rather than later."

Randy chuckled. "Why not you? After all, most of the Champions of the world today have beaten one of those crazed factions themselves."

Mark scoffed. "Not interested," he said. "I have no love for the Syndicate, and I'll thrash 'em if the opportunity presents itself, but I'm no hero -I'm not going to go chasing after a criminal faction just because I've survived two encounters with them."

"You know I was joking, right?"

Mark flushed with embarrassment. "Oh..."

"Man, you have no sense for sarcasm, do you?"

"Apparently not..."

Mark heard Vitesse snarking, and looked back at his Blaziken to see her talon covering her mouth as she was trying to stifle a laugh. "Hey, traitor!"

And with his flustered reaction, Randy and Vitesse both exploded with laughter at his expense.

When the laughing fit was finally over, the three arrived at the department store and proceeded immediately down into the basement, flashing their wristbands at the greeters so they would let them through to the convention.

Mark didn't know what to expect as they entered the huge, open room beyond, but when he saw it, it took his breath away. The entire room was filled with stalls and counters where people had set up shops and attractions throughout the basement, featuring various figures of popular culture, famous celebrities and even some not related to that, but present, including gift and souvenir shops. Far at the other end of the countless stalls there was a wide open area where Mark could see thousands of people had gathered, though from here he couldn't see what they were doing yet.

"Holy crap..." was all Mark could think of to say.

"What'd I tell you?" Randy asked. "Something else, ain't it?"

"Certainly not what I was expecting," replied Mark. "I'm seeing a lot of stores here, yet earlier it sounded like you were averse to shopping." He looked at Randy quizzically. "Care to explain that?"

"I like shopping when there's stuff of interest," replied Randy. "And _this_ place has all that and more!" He reached for a Poké Ball on his belt, and opened it to let out Cairo, who hummed slightly as he breathed in the air of the basement and looked up at his trainer curiously. "Come on boy; let's go!" He urged, breaking into a run to head into the gathering beyond, with Cairo hot on his heels.

"Randy, wait a...!" Mark started to call after him, but Randy was already too far away to hear him. "Wow. He sure can move when he really wants to."

" _Chik-ak_ ," agreed Vitesse.

"Well _now_ what're we supposed to do? We don't even know what's around here," Mark asked, looking at Vitesse as if she had an answer to give him. Of course, she didn't; she knew about as much as conventions as he did -which was to say, nothing.

He sighed. "Guess we'll just browse the shops until Randy gets back," he decided, tucking his hands into the pockets of his vest. "Come on, girl."

Vitesse nodded, and followed Mark as he made his way over to the stalls, checking the wares as he passed to see if anything caught his attention. Most of the items being sold were just collectibles and memorabilia -nothing he was really interested in; he liked video games and movies as much as anyone else, but collections were outside of his interest. _'Why bother buying something that just sits around collecting dust? Sure it's supposed to become valuable like... twenty years later, but only if you take care of it.'_ He thought.

But he _did_ spot one thing that caught his interest.

Halfway down the aisle, he saw a table covered in Pokémon accessories out of his peripheral vision. He turned to the stall that the table was part of, keeping his hands in his pockets and looking over the items with intrigue.

The clerk of the stall, a young man probably a few years older than himself, turned to him and walked up to the table. "See anything you like?" He asked.

"A few things catch my eye, yes," admitted Mark. "These items; are any of them the kind with in-battle effects?"

"They certainly are; I have several items for each Pokémon type here before you," the man explained. "And a few general items that all types can use, over here on this table, including muscle bands, choice scarves, and so on."

Mark hummed in thought, bringing his hands out of his pockets and putting one to his chin as he considered his options, absently reaching into his vest and running his fingers over the Poké Balls holstered inside, stopping as his fingers fell upon Fang's. "What do you have for Dark-types?"

"I have these," the man replied, gesturing to a pair of dark glasses on the table. "These are called Blackglasses; they look fashionable and they increase the power of Dark-type attacks."

Mark looked at the glasses oddly, trying to imagine Fang wearing them, but he just couldn't quite picture it. Deciding it was better to test it, he pulled out Fang's Poké Ball. "Come out, boy," he said, opening the ball and letting Fang out into the room. The Mightyena barked as he was released, looking up at Mark briefly before looking around the room, taking in the strange new surroundings all around him.

"May I?" Mark asked, holding out his hand over one of the Blackglasses.

"By all means," replied the man.

Mark picked up the glasses, kneeling down and getting Fang's attention. "Here boy; try these on," he said, prompting Fang to step up to him and place the glasses on Fang's snout, adjusting them to better suit his canine features until they rested comfortably on his face. When Mark saw them, he grimaced, seeing how they blocked out Fang's eyes completely -probably dimmed his vision too, and even adjusted didn't look comfortable. "Heh... really 'rockin' the look there, Fang."

Even behind the glasses, Mark saw Fang frowning, letting out a whine and pawing at his face as if trying to take off the glasses. "Yeah, I don't like 'em either," Mark agreed, reaching out to take the glasses off of Fang, who shook his head as they were removed and Mark passed them back to the stall owner. "Thanks, but I don't think these will work. What about the other items; what do those do?"

"Well let's see here," the store clerk began, looking over the items on the other table. "What sort of attacks does your Pokémon know?"

"Fang? He knows Crunch, Ice Fang, Snarl, Shadow Ball, Embargo and Torment," explained Mark.

"A balanced move pool but what would you say his specialty is; close range or long range?"

"Definitely close," replied Mark. "Most of his attacks are meant for weakening his opponent, but his strongest attacks are definitely his up-close ones."

The clerk reached for an item on the table, picking up an orange piece of cloth with two red shapes on the front, resembling eyes, and handed it to Mark. "This is a Muscle Band; it's worn like a headband in most cases, and boosts the power of Physical moves."

"There's no way this'll fit on Fang's head though; canines aren't exactly meant for wearing headbands," Mark commented, looking at the band curiously. "This _would_ be pretty handy on Scy-" He caught himself, still adjusting to his new friend's nickname. "Saber, though... but he's already got Swift Wings on him."

"Wait, Wing items?" The man asked.

"Yeah?"

"You are aware those only last a little while, aren't you?" the man asked.

Mark arched an eyebrow. "Wait, what?"

"They're basically training items, like a Power Band or Macho Brace," the man explained. "Swift Wings increase the speed of their wearer as they become stronger, adding to it, but they only last for a few months at most."

Mark frowned. "Oh... Well then," he said. "Maybe I could give one of these to my Scyther then. But for Fang..." He hummed in thought, looking at the Mightyena and studying him to see where the band might work. Then he had an idea. "Do you have one that's a little larger? Maybe to fit on a big Pokémon like Arcanine or Onix?"

"I should, yes," the man replied, kneeling down and disappearing beneath the table for a moment. Mark could hear him rummaging through boxes, until a triumph 'Aha!' preceded his reappearance, standing back up and showing Mark a large Muscle Band almost as long as his arm. "What about this one?"

"That'll do," Mark replied, setting down the smaller one and taking the large one, showing it to Fang to prompt him to scoot closer, where Mark brought the wide side of the band to his neck and wrapped the two ends around the back, tying them together before leaving it as a sort of bandana. He didn't like the colour of it, but that could easily be changed -accessories were meant to be personalized after all.

"This'll work," Mark stated, pulling back from Fang and standing up, turning to the stall clerk again. "I'll take it, and the small one too, for my Scyther."

"That's a good look for him, maybe with a splash of red on the band or something," the clerk commented.

"I agree," replied Mark, petting Fang on the head as he adjusted to wearing the band, deciding that he didn't mind it, and looked at Vitesse, who chirped in approval at him.

"Very good; may I interest you in anything else?" The clerk inquired. "Maybe another Muscle Band or a Black Belt for your Blaziken here?"

"Thanks, but Vitesse's already got an item, and by law I can only have one at time on them for battle purposes," Mark replied, pointing to Vitesse's Mega Stone. "My Tropius has a Miracle Seed and my Steelix also has a Mega Stone."

"Two Pokémon with Mega Stones?" The man asked. "Despite only being able to use one at a time?"

"Well it's a tactical choice; I choose between them depending on the battle," explained Mark.

"That's all well and good, but what if you use both of them in the same battle and you already Mega-evolved one of them?"

Mark's eyes narrowed at that as the man's words struck a chord of truth in his mind, and once again he was humming in thought at the idea. "You know, I never thought of that."

"I'm no Pokémon Trainer, or at least not a very good one," the man said. "But, I know a thing or two about preparing a Pokémon for battle; sometimes, having the right kind of item is the edge you need. Two Mega Stones sounds nice but it's impractical, for the fact you can only use one at a time, so even if you have more than one, better you keep the other one aside for a later time."

Mark arched an eyebrow. "For someone who's not a Pokémon Trainer you _definitely_ know what you're talking about," he said. "Who are you anyway?"

"My name is Clark," the man replied. "I'm a former Pokémon trainer from the Sinnoh Region, but I was never very successful at it -could never get past my sixth badge." He rubbed his head with embarrassment. "So, I'm pursuing a different lifestyle; I know all there is to know about items, and so I decided to market the ones I've collected during my travels." He gestured to the table. "I hope to open my own store one day -I'm just starting with this stall for now."

"Well Clark, I think you've got a good talent for this. I'll think about what you said, but for now..."

An idea suddenly flashed through his mind; Mark's head jerked up so sharply it jarred his neck, and made Vitesse look at her trainer with concern, wondering what he had remembered -or realized, in this case, and he smiled.

"What do you have for training items?" He asked.

Although he mentally kicked himself for spending so much, in the end Mark felt satisfied with his purchases. New items for his Pokémon, both for the battles ahead, and the training he would need to do in order to make them strong enough. He could hardly believe he hadn't thought of this before, but speaking with Clark had opened his mind to new possibilities for his Pokémon; a way to help expedite whipping them back into shape, bringing them back to their former strength, and to improve their performance in battle.

 _'It appears even after becoming a Champion there's always more to learn_ ,' he thought as he wandered through the shops, looking for Randy.

Eventually, he found his travel companion at a memorabilia store relating for various pop culture icons, such as popular television and video game characters, some that Mark recognized, others he didn't, but Randy was going over every one of them like a fine-toothed comb, studying every detail of every item until he found one he liked.

"Really into this shit, isn't he?" Mark asked Vitesse and Fang, both of whom huffed in agreement, especially seeing that Cairo was in on it as well, having a rather shocking fondness for some Pokémon-based characters such as a Pikachu Libre ' _What the hell is that even supposed to be?_ ' was all Mark could ask when he saw the item. ' _Pikachu cosplaying as a Luchador wrestler?'_

Suddenly having an idea, he crept forward slowly, sneaking up behind the rather absorbed trainer. Mark waited until Randy's hands were free of any breakable objects before...

" _Boo!"_

"AH!" Randy shrieked, flailing his arms around as if under attack as he whipped around to face Mark, eyes wide with shock before contorting into a scowl. "Dude, that was uncalled for."

"But it was so satisfying," Mark returned, the Pokémon -including Cairo, all laughing at Randy's expense.

"...Payback for my earlier burn, eh?"

"Big time."

"Okay then." Randy eyed the bag in Mark's hand. "I see you did some shopping, and..." His eyes fell upon the Muscle band Fang was now wearing around his neck. "And accessorizing?"

"I met a Sinnoh trainer who was selling some items," Mark explained. "He had some useful stuff so I bought some training items, and a couple of Muscle Bands -one for Fang, the other for Saber."

"But Saber's already got those Swift Wings, right?"

"Yeah, turns out the power granted by those is gradual, and not indefinite," Mark explained. "They're basically a cheap training item; Saber's probably only still wearing them in memory of his trainer but truthfully, they're just things now."

"Wait, so all that speed we saw with him..." Randy began, his face falling flat.

"Yep," replied Mark. "It was his natural speed."

Randy groaned. "And the guy was faster than _Thorn_ for crying out loud," he said. "I should catch me a Scyther."

"If you can find one; they're apparently pretty rare," Mark stated.

"In case you haven't noticed, Mark, I've got three rare Pokémon with me already," Randy commented, gesturing to Cairo. "For example..."

"Point taken," Mark admitted.

As the two continued to talk, they heard a few girls running past them, squealing in delight about something. "Hurry up; we're going to miss it!"

"I can't believe Brock's giving a presentation!"

"He's so cool!"

That was about all Mark could interpret from the giggling group that hustled by, watching them as they ran for the open part of the convention at the back. With a questioning look, he turned to Randy. "Who's Brock?"

"A gym leader, I think," replied Randy. "Pewter city if I'm remembering correctly; specialty in Rock-type Pokémon. He apparently competed at the Pokémon World Tournament along with gym leaders from across the world; made quite an impression."

"A famous Gym Leader, huh?" Mark asked, turning his gaze in the direction the girls had went. "Maybe we ought to check it out?"

"Sure, why not?" Randy replied with a shrug. "Might learn something. Just let me finish my purchase here."

Randy went back to working out a price with the salesman for the collectibles he'd chosen, placing all of them into a bag after paying for them and slinging them over his shoulder. With that, he and Cairo rejoined Mark, Fang and Vitesse, and they made their way through the shops to the open area where this 'demonstration' was to take place.

Mark was already going over in his mind what kind of strategies Brock might have using Rock-types; they were a risky type to deploy on account of having many weaknesses. Grass, Water, Fighting, Steel and Ground were all super-effective against Rock-type Pokémon -without the inclusion of secondary typing- and none of those types were exactly rare. Having had an Onix himself -before it evolved- Mark knew well that Rock-types were hard to use in battle; he'd found that out when he pit Tanker against Brawly on Dewford Island, when he was still a novice and didn't know that Rock-types were weak to Fighting.

Still, any type could be effective if someone knew the right trick to using them. Even Mark had managed to overcome his Onix's glaring weaknesses as his journey progressed, once he'd learned how fast they could move underground, and that their severely lacking Special Defense could be remedied with Sandstorm, since it could interfere with Special Attacks due to the flying particles.

 _'Maybe Brock has some other tactic to inspire me,_ ' thought Mark. _'Tanker's good but catching another Rock-type on this journey could come in handy.'_

They stepped out into the open area where the presentation was due to be held, finding themselves standing on an unprotected concrete floor, ringed with visitors to the convention who were there to see whatever show Brock was planning. In the middle of the gathering, standing alone out on the floor, was a man with spiky brown hair and tan skin, standing atop a small dais with a microphone, watching as people gathered. But he wasn't alone; standing with him atop the dais was a younger man, wearing a red jacket and black undershirt, a white and red cap and blue jeans.

The second man brought a tinge of familiarity to Mark, and he suddenly found himself staring, wondering why this man appeared so familiar. He did not get long to ponder it, though, before Brock took position at the microphone, tapping it and listening to the feedback to make sure it worked before he held it up to his mouth.

"Visitors to the Celadon Convention, I welcome you all here today," the man began, speaking in a semi-monotonous yet someone wise tone of voice; like a person of experience, Mark felt. "Be you local to Kanto or visitors from afar, I'm pleased that you all are taking the time to come here to witness this demonstration. I won't take too much of your time, though I do hope you are all coming to the Gym Leader panel later this afternoon to hear the leaders of Kanto and Johto share their experiences with you.

"What I'm about to show you today is mostly for newer trainers, wondering the way to properly employ Rock-type Pokémon. For the last three times I've come to this convention, I am always asked how I handle using types with 'so many glaring weaknesses'," he said, making Mark's eyes widen as though Brock had pulled a question from _his_ head. "The answer is simple; the best way to overcome type advantages, is with discovering the advantage of your Pokémon, and using that knowledge to formulate a strategy of how to train your Pokémon. This what I'm here to show you today."

He gestured to the person standing with him. "And today I have a special guest to help me give this demonstration; many of you will know who he is." He stepped over to the stranger, clapping him on the shoulder before continuing. "Allow me to introduce Red, former Kanto Champion."

"Hu-wha?!" Randy asked, barely containing his surprise. The rest of the audience shared in this shocking moment, many eliciting surprised gasps before going on to whispering to their friends, expressing their surprise and glee at having Kanto's greatest Pokémon trainer at their convention as if it was a historical moment.

Mark was just as surprised as the rest, his jaw falling open as the all too obvious question escaped his mouth in a low tone. "What the hell are the _odds_?" He asked, before he looked at his companion. "Randy, did you know about this?"

"I'm just as shocked as you are, buddy; I had no idea he was going to be here," Randy returned.

"I never would've imagined these conventions would be his thing," Mark returned.

Randy shrugged. "Well Brock did say he's here as a guest," he reminded, to which Mark nodded in agreement. "But look on the bright side; now you don't have to run all over Kanto looking for him."

Mark chuckled. "Yeah that's true," he said. "I might be able to speak with him after this presentation."

"I thought you said you weren't ready to challenge him yet?"

"I'm not, but that doesn't mean I can't set it for a later time. This as much depends on him as it does me -he's not obligated to accept my challenge," replied Mark.

"What about that whole thing about 'when two trainer's eyes meet'?" Randy asked.

"Yeah... I don't buy that nonsense," replied Mark. "How many trainers have we made eye contact with since arriving in Celadon alone? Let alone down here in this crowded place." He shook his head. "Nah... a battle only happens when both trainers want it, and when their Pokémon want it too."

"I suppose you raise a good point there."

They turned their attention back to Brock and Red as they carried on with explaining the presentation. "Today I'm going to reveal to you all a favourite combination of mine, which takes advantage of a Rock-type Pokémon's high defense, against opponents with a high attack strength. And since we're in a large enough room," he reached onto the back of his belt, bringing forth a Poké Ball. "My trusted partner will be the one to demonstrate."

Red said nothing as he too selected a Poké Ball, with him and Brock both walking off of the dais to take positions at either side of the floor, keeping a safe distance from the crowds as they faced each other. Meanwhile, a crew of convention staff rushed over to the dais, accompanied by a pair of Machoke who stood by, waiting as the workers used a power drill to remove a series of bolts securing the dais to the floor. With that, the two Machoke actually picked up the entire dais itself and carried it away, the crowd parting to give them room, and thus leaving the field open and clear.

Mark studied the floor, looking over the lines and colourations stretched between where Red and Brock stood, suddenly realizing what the floor looked like. "Randy, you notice that?"

"Sure did; this is a battlefield!" Randy replied, excited. "It's just like in a Pokémon Gym!"

They looked up again, and saw Brock was about to cast forth his Poké Ball, calling out to the Pokémon within as he let it fly. "Onix, you're up!"

The ball opened, and a massive form materialized from the energy that spill forth from the ball, taking shape and gaining solidity to reveal a long, serpentine body consisting entirely of stones that became progressively smaller towards the tail, ending with a small, fist-sized rock. Its head was long and rugged, with two big white eyes staring out from the sockets of its stone skull. A long horn jutted up from the top of its head, and its large mouth opened to elicit a rumbling roar as it was released.

"And we finally get to see Brock's famous Onix," Randy commented. "His strongest Pokémon."

"It certainly _look_ powerful," Mark agreed. "Now let's see what Red is going with."

Red, still silent, cast forth his Poké Ball as well, and the Pokémon that emerged from it was also big, but not quite so large as Onix. The Pokémon was big, with a plump blue body and cream-coloured undertones, with short legs and short, beefy arms. Two cat-like ears grew from its head, its eyes were narrow -practically shut, even, and it had a rather blank, tired expression on its face as it yawned and grunted, scratching its chest with the short, stubby claws on the end of its paw.

"A Snorlax," Randy commented. "Those things pack one hell of a punch."

"All part of the demonstration," Mark said, nodding in agreement as he crossed his arms and watched.

"Now," Brock began. "Onix, use Bide."

Onix rumbled low, curling in on itself while keeping it eyes fixed upon Snorlax, waiting for it to make its move. Only now did Red finally speak as he gave orders to his Snorlax, his voice fairly high-pitched and yet commanding as he spoke. "Ice Punch."

Snorlax's expression changed, shifting from the bored, sleepy look to a more determined expression as it charged forward with surprising speed for having such short legs, growling loudly and drawing back its fist as snow and ice particles swirled around it. It took aim directly at Onix's face, and swung its fist in a wide arc, striking Onix directly between the eyes, but it stood its ground, taking the punch without showing any sign of discomfort.

Mark suddenly remembered that Onix was also a ground-type, and would be vulnerable to an Ice Punch attack, yet this one was enduring it with minimal damage. _'Even Tanker wasn't_ that _tough when he was an Onix; this one is tough.'_ He thought, eyes narrowing with intrigue. _'And come to think of it, this is the same combo Lance used against me with his Goodra. Could it be he actually learned it from Brock?'_

Snorlax struck again, and this time Onix retaliated, opening its large mouth and firing a stream of white energy directly into Snorlax's chest, which sent it flying backwards, rolling head over heels back in Red's direction until it fall flat onto its belly with a grunt. Much to the shock of the audience though, it stood up again, grunting once more and scratching where it was hit.

"As you can see," Brock began. "Onix took the two hits with no problem even though he's weak against Ice-type attacks. While Onix's high defense was a factor in this, the tides of a battle can also be turned by the right item, and the right training, which was in Red's favour here. Bide allowed Onix to turn all of the damage he took back at his opponent for twice the power; most Pokémon would be knocked out after such a hit. However with Snorlax," Brock gestured to the Normal-type. "Not so easy, because Snorlax has a high Special-Defense, and Bide is a Special Attack.

"This means it's also good to know when to use what attack," Brock went on. "This is true with any and _all_ Pokémon types, but with Rock-types, you have to take advantage of their defense to keep the battle in their favour." He produced Onix's Poké Ball, turning to it and taking aim with the ball. "Thanks for your help, old friend," he said before recalling Onix to its Poké Ball for a respite. "Now, are there any questions?" He asked.

As Red recalled Snorlax to its own ball, someone piped up from the audience. "Brock; how do you deal with a speedy Pokémon while using Rock-types? Or Special-Attackers since Rock-types don't have that much Special Defense?"

"Two very good questions," Brock began. "Well I can't tell you guys all of my secrets, I can give you answers. When it comes to dealing with a speedy Pokémon like, say..." He looked around the audience until his eyes fell found their way to where Mark and Randy were standing, but he wasn't looking at them; he was looking past them, at Vitesse. "Excuse me; who's Blaziken is that?"

The Blaziken clucked, raising her head with some alarm. Mark looked back at her briefly as if to confirm she was the one Brock was looking at but, there clearly weren't any other Blaziken in the audience. With no other option, he stepped forward. "She's with me," he replied.

"Do you mind coming out here for a moment, please?" Brock requested.

Mark stiffened, surprised that he'd be called upon to join the presentation when Brock didn't even have a clue who he was. But, the logical part of him told him this was his chance to meet with Red -his chance to speak with the Ex-Champion. Sharing a brief glance with Randy, Mark stepped forward, followed by Vitesse, and he motioned for Fang to stay. The Mightyena stepped over to stand next to Randy and Cairo, watching as his friends stepped out from the crowd.

Mark and Vitesse crossed the floor to join Brock at the center of the clearing. "I appreciate this," Brock bade him, offering his hand to Mark, which the trainer shook respectfully. "Your name is?"

"Mark."

Brock nodded to him. "Mark then," he said, and then stepped back. "Now, Mark's partner here is a Blaziken. They are known for being both fast and hard-hitting physical-attackers. Although I have little to worry about from their physical strikes due to Onix's defense, their speed easily surpasses mine, and my attacks would be hard-pressed to land. The best way to gain an advantage would be to take away their speed advantage; there are a number of attacks that could be used for this, including Trick Room, Rock Tomb and Scary Face.

"But those alone won't guarantee victory; it's up to all of _you,"_ he pointed at the audience, "as the trainers, to determine how to give your Pokémon that advantage. To expect them to figure it out for themselves means we aren't doing our part for them. They battle for us, they win us the badge, but they don't do that without us to guide them -we determine the right attacks to use and when, along with the attacks they will learn, and we also must help them master them. Bear all this in mind when you go into battle; nothing is ever as simple as it seems."

Brock turned to Mark. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome," Mark replied, turning and heading back to rejoin Randy.

Red was on his way back to the center to rejoin Brock. As he passed Mark, he looked over at him, raising his head enough that his eyes became fully visible beneath the rim of his hat, peering directly into Mark's blue eyes.

Time slowed to a crawl for both of them; Mark felt himself slowing as his gaze met Red's, peering deeply into those reddish brown orbs as they sized him up, as if Red knew exactly why Mark was there. He could see intrigue in Red's eyes; a dormant curiosity, but that paled in comparison to the inner strength he could practically _feel_ radiating from Red. Mark could feel his heart thundering in anticipation as the two continued to stare at each other, until both had stepped out of the other's peripheral vision, breaking their locked gaze.

Mark turned his gaze forward again, feeling his head slow back to a steady beat, and released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. As he refilled his lungs with air, he felt Vitesse's eyes on him, looking at her to see her eyeing him with concern.

"Vitesse, my good friend" Mark said, his voice low and solemn. "There may be something to that whole 'eyes meeting' thing after all..."

In that short gaze between the two trainers, he felt as though Red had challenged _him_...

* * *

Hours seemed like minutes as Mark and Randy explored more of the convention's attractions, doing a bit more shopping and even taking part in a few games, such as an archery challenge, shooting gallery -with pellet guns, of course- and a rope climb, which Randy won decisively as Mark had no experience climbing ropes. Halfway up, he had actually lost his grip on the rope and had to be caught by Vitesse, otherwise have the wind knocked out of him on the safety mat below.

Soon, though, their stomachs were growling and it was time to go find some lunch.

They left the convention center, heading back up to the ground floor and travelling next door to a cafe, where they treated themselves to some sandwiches and apple pie. Vitesse and Cairo sat at the table with them while Fang was eating out of a bowl on the floor. The rest of their Pokémon were outside, through the window where they could see them, eating their own meals outdoors. Occasionally they saw Kaen and Thorn messing around as the Charmeleon kept trying to steal food from Thorn's bowl, but the Sceptile would always catch him, even when he attempted to sneak around him, leaving the Charmeleon flustered and huffing a puff of smoke from his nostrils in annoyance.

Later into their meal, Randy decided to spark up a conversation. "So," he began after swallowing a mouthful of his sandwich. "How you liking the convention so far?"

Mark, who was in the middle of sipping his latte, set it down gently before replying. "Certainly not what I expected," he said. "Most of what I envisioned is there -cosplaying, geeky conversations and so on, but I sure as hell didn't expect there to be shops with such amazing items and such fun activities to do."

Randy chuckled. "I'd have thought meeting Red would've stood out most for you."

"It did; I just figured that went without saying," Mark clarified as he went back to eating his sandwich.

The bell for the door rang. Instinctively, Randy looked up from his meal to see who was entering, and his eyes widened at who he saw entering the cafe. "Speaking of which, Mark,"he commented, pointing towards the entrance with his pinky finger as the rest of his hand was occupied holding his sandwich.

Mark turned, peering over his and Vitesse's shoulders to look where Randy was pointing, and his jaw almost fell open when he saw none other than Red, along with Brock, entering the cafe. They were met by the waitress, who was leading them to a table when the two spotted Mark and Randy seated at the table, stopping to greet them.

"Mark! Hello again," Brock started.

"Hello," Mark returned. "Didn't expect to run into you a second time today."

"Just taking a lunch break; same as you I imagine," returned Brock. "Do you mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," Randy replied, scooting further into the booth and prompting Cairo to follow his example, the Lucario sliding along the seat to make room for Red, who sat down next to him. Mark did the same, sliding further into the rounded booth until he was sitting next to Randy, and Brock sat down next to Vitesse.

A sharp yelp sounded from under the table; Brock jumped at least a foot into the air as he leapt out of his seat and peered under the table to see what had made the sound. "Oh! Sorry there, fella; I didn't see you!"

"What happened?" Mark asked.

"I think I stepped on his tail," replied Brock. "Is this Mightyena yours?"

"He is, yeah," Mark replied, leaning down to peer under at Fang, who was already back on his feet and glaring at Brock. "Hey, take it easy boy; it was just an accident," he said.

Fang growled low, reaching down and picking up his food bowl in his teeth before he backed up to the counter at the front of the diner, sitting down between two stools before going back to his meal.

"Really sorry about that," Brock said.

"It's okay," Mark returned. "I probably should've warned you he was under there."

Brock turned to look at Fang, looking him over and nodding as though in approval. "A _big_ fella, too," he said. "He looks quite healthy." He then looked at Vitesse. "The same with your Blaziken; I don't think I've ever seen a stronger looking one. Does he have a name?"

"She, actually," Mark corrected. "Her name is Vitesse."

Brock nodded, and looked at the Blaziken. "Pleasure to meet you, Vitesse."

She cooed in reply, nodding her head.

Mark gestured to Randy and Cairo. "This is my friend Randy," he said. "And that's Cairo." He then gestured towards the counter. "And of course, you've met Fang."

"Not the best first impression, unfortunately," Brock commented, rubbing his head in embarrassment, before he sat straight up again. "In case either of you didn't know, I'm Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader."

"We know," Randy replied. "Not my first trip to Kanto; good to meet you anyway."

"And of course, at the convention, I already introduced you to Red," Brock completed, gesturing to his companion.

Red reached up to his hat, lifting it slightly to show more of his face and smiling pleasantly. "Hello," he said, finally speaking for the first time since the presentation he had done with Brock.

Randy chuckled. "You've been so silent I was starting to think you were mute," he remarked.

"I'm not much of a talker," Red replied with a light chuckle. "But I'm certainly not mute; it would be kind of difficult to lead my Pokémon if I couldn't talk."

"Right..." returned Randy, nodding.

"Where are you guys from?" Brock asked.

"We're both from Hoenn," replied Mark. "I live north of Mauville, Randy's from Mossdeep."

"Both of you here for the convention, then?" Brock inquired further.

Mark gestured to Randy. "He is; I just tagged along," he replied. "Actually I'm here for something else entirely." He glanced at Red as he said this.

"Mark here," Red began. "Battled Blue and Lance about a week ago."

Mark, who had been about to speak when Red piped up, felt his jaw fall wide open as Red completely gave him away. "How... did you know that?" He asked.

"I met them both on my way back to Kanto," replied Red. "I was at the League, looking for Ethan, when I saw in Lance's battle room there were signs there had been a Pokémon battle there recently. When I asked him about it, he said a blond-haired trainer from Hoenn had challenged, _and_ beaten him, just a few days before I got there. I stopped in Viridian as well, and sure enough Blue had faced a similar challenger." He smiled at Mark. "There can't be too many trainers from Hoenn wandering Kanto that have a Blaziken," he said, and pointed at the mega stone housed in Vitesse's shoulder harness and as if to confirm what Blue had told Mark back in Viridian city, he said, "with one of _those._ "

"And now," Red continued. "I'm guessing you also want to challenge me?"

Mark chuckled. "I think you beat me to it when our eyes met back at the convention center," returned the Hoenn trainer. "But yes... I need more time to train and prepare, but I came here to challenge you to a battle, Red."

"And why, if I may ask, _do_ you want to battle me?" Red asked, giving Mark a questioning look.

Mark glanced briefly at Randy, as if to ask him what he thought he should say, and then at Vitesse, who remained silent. Mark proceeded to explain his reasons. "I'm the former Champion of Hoenn," he began. "I lost the title to Randy here," he gestured to his companion.

"But then _I_ lost the title to a trainer called Brendan," Randy chimed in.

"I saw the battle on live television," continued Mark. "And when I saw Randy lose... I don't know, it struck a negative chord with me. Made me wonder if I still had the capacity to call myself a Champion."

Red looked at him oddly. "You think it was just a fluke?"

"I suppose, in a way, yes," replied Mark.

Much to his surprise, Red scoffed. "Somehow I doubt that," he said.

"Excuse me?" Mark asked, confused.

"Reaching the Pokémon League and actually _becoming_ the Champion are two very different things," Red began. "Skilled trainers make it to the League but only the ones who are the most closely bonded with their Pokémon will achieve the Champion title. The Elite Four and the Champion are more than just trials to reach a title; they're a test, to see if you have what it takes to call yourself a Champion. Anyone who makes it there has that right; whether or not you keep it or for how long, those have nothing to do with what makes you a good trainer."

Red paused as the waitress approached, offering to take orders for him and Brock. They told the waitress what they wanted, and waited until she was gone before Red continued. "I'm sure you know," Red continued. "I never actually _lost_ my Champion title; I simply gave it up. To me it really didn't mean anything."

"Why not?" Mark asked.

"When I first became a Pokémon trainer, my goal was to complete the PokéDex," Red explained. "That was my only real goal. Along the way, I became the Champion because I was striving to become stronger -to complete the PokéDex I _needed_ to be stronger, especially when it came to battling strong Pokémon and other trainers on the way. Soon, I started collecting Gym Badges, and then I challenged the league, and finally surpassed Blue -the one trainer I knew would always be one step ahead of me, and liked to remind me of it too -we were kids, of course, but Blue hasn't what you'd say... mellowed with age."

He chuckled. "Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. I held the Champion title for a while but, I began to realize that that's all it really was -just a title. It was a goal to strive for at one point but now that I had it, I needed a new outlet. So, I went back to my work to complete the PokéDex, which led me to some amazing discoveries, but I always needed to stay nearby in case a challenger came -travelling abroad became too complicated, so I surrendered the title, and the Elite Four decided amongst themselves who was suitable to take over."

"So you gave up your title... because you felt it was irrelevant?" Mark asked.

"That would be the short of it, yes," replied Red. "But there was more to it. After nearly losing a battle to a challenger, I realized... having the title had done something else to me," continued Red. "My skills as a trainer had suffered because I had stopped training -I stopped travelling for too long. And as if to confirm this, I lost to Ethan atop Mt. Silver when I was up there to train again; he had just become the Johto Champion but he still managed to beat me, and that's when I realized what had happened."

"What?" Mark asked.

Red looked at him. "I had become complacent," he replied.

And with that one word, Mark felt his entire body become awash with a feeling that could he could not have put into words if anyone asked him. It was as though a stunning realization, like the discovery of a lifetime, had just fallen upon him. Several memories played through his mind, of his mother back home when she asked him if he had kept up his training. Of Blue and Lance calling him out on mistakes he should never have made, and now Red's words to him about why he had given up his champion title under the belief it had made him weaker.

It all made sense now. He was like Red; he had lost his Champion title because during the time that he had it, he had convinced himself that he was the best he could be. This, he'd already figured out recently, but Red had figured it out much sooner, and had given up his title _before_ it could ruin him. Mark, on the other hand, had let his achievements go to his head, and it had all come crashing down on him for not realizing it.

In the end, he could have been like Red; he could have realized his imminent errors, but he hadn't... did he really know this all along, and just been in denial?

Well there was one way to find out.

"Yeah... I know how you feel," said Mark, nodding to Red. "I think that's exactly what happened to me. I started this journey to prove something to myself, but it seems all it's turned out to be so far is a path of self-rediscovery." He chuckled. "All I've proven to myself, really, is where I've been going wrong, letting myself and my Pokémon deteriorate from our previous strength, and all this journey has done was force me to accept it."

He looked at Red again. "But that is also why I will continue it. I've come this far; I might as well see just how far I can go. The next step in that... is battling you."

At that, Red smiled. "I don't know if your skill has diminished, having not seen you at your peak," he said. "But you definitely have the spirit of a true trainer." He nodded to Mark. "I accept your challenge, Mark."

"Now _that_ is a battle I want to see," Brock commented, rubbing his chin and nodding.

"Same," Randy agreed. "But where should they have it and when?"

"Why not the Pewter Gym? I'd be happy to host the battle for them," Brock offered.

"Too confined," Red replied. "We need somewhere more open. And probably a good idea to have it close to a Pokémon center; I have a hunch it's going to be quite the battle."

"Up on the Indigo Plateau, maybe?" Randy offered.

"Possible," replied Mark, nodding. "It's spacious enough, to be sure."

"Another place I'd suggest is the big ravine outside the rock tunnel," Brock offered. "There's a Pokémon center there, and it's plenty spacious. Not much traffic either if you're looking for privacy."

"Either one is probably alright," Red stated, looking at Mark. "Which would you prefer?"

Mark rolled his eyes as he considered the suggestions, finding himself a little keener on the idea of the Plateau since he already knew where it was. "I guess the Plateau, then," he said.

"Then we'll have our battle outside of the Pokémon League," Red stated, to which Mark nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Brock. "When should we schedule it for; tomorrow?"

"I'll need more time to prepare first," Mark replied, shaking his head. "I should give Red the same, too."

"Agreed," replied Red. "One week from today, we'll meet at the Indigo Plateau and have our battle. But first..." He looked up as he saw the waitress bringing over his and Brock's orders. "Let's have lunch."

* * *

Later on, when the four trainers and their Pokémon were filled and satisfied, they left the cafe. Mark and Randy stopped to gather their other Pokémon who had patiently waited outside, returning them to their Poké Balls and getting ready to leave. Mark and Red bid goodbye to each other with a sportsmanlike handshake, their eyes meeting again for another few seconds as both of them could see the anticipation of their coming battle in the other's eyes, and knew that it would be one to remember...

With that, the two parted, with Red and Brock disappearing into town and leaving Mark and Randy outside the cafe, watching until they were gone.

"Well, Red's a friendly fella, eh?" Randy asked.

Mark nodded. "Seems so," he said.

"So what should we do next? Enjoy the next two days of the convention and then get back to training?" Randy asked.

"I'll stay one more day for it," replied Mark. "But, midday tomorrow, I'm heading back to the camp to get back to training."

"But there's two days left," Randy reminded.

"You can stay for all of them," replied Mark. "But my team and I can't afford to squander this time Red's given us. We'll take one more day of rest until midday tomorrow, five days of hard training, and then one more day to let them catch their breath, and then we'll be heading for the Indigo Plateau." He shut his eyes, feeling his heart rate rising steadily again as he held back his excitement for what was to come. "Red's going to be the strongest trainer I've _ever_ faced... I can't afford to waste time if I want to win."

Randy sighed, but shrugged in defeat. "I hear you man," he said. "Okay then; let's head to a motel and get some shut-eye, and then come back here tomorrow morning for more festivities."

"Good idea; I was hoping to call my mom tonight anyway," Mark stated. "Give her an update on how things are going." He looked at Randy. "Where's the nearest motel?" He asked.

"Right this way," Randy replied, gesturing up the street to the left, taking the lead and showing Mark the way to where they could stay...

Later that night, when the two of them had checked into their rooms, Mark used the video phone in his room to make a call to his mother's house. He hoped he wasn't calling her too late -she was and early riser in order to get all of the chores on the farm finished before the end of the day, a task she'd had to start doing all on her own ever since Mark had left home. She had a few hired hands to help her out but aside from them, it was just her -and her Pokémon of course.

Much to his relief, he received an answer. She was in her night clothes, but she was still awake and alert. " _Hello_?" Her voice asked through the speaker as the screen flashed to life, and she smiled brightly when she saw Mark. " _Well hello there, sweetheart! How're you_?"

"I'm doing good, mom," returned Mark. "I'm off to a good start with my new journey."

" _Oh_?" Diana asked, leaning forward on her hands as she listened. " _Do tell._ "

With that, Mark went on to explain what had happened since he'd left home, starting with the ride to Kanto aboard the _S.S Julia._ He told her about how he encountered Randy, and the rematch battle they had, where Randy's Zangoose had lost to Coal. He at first considered leaving out the details of the attempted heist, not wanting his mother to worry about him, but she beat him to it. "Hold on... the _S.S_ Julia, you said?" She asked. " _But wasn't that the ship that was attacked?"_

"Yeah it... it was," replied Mark. "The International Crime Syndicate attempted a heist while the ship was in international waters. But Randy and I stopped them."

" _You and Randy stopped them_?" Diana repeated. " _Mark, that was reckless of you; picking a fight with criminals? You could've been hurt!_ "

"I couldn't just let them take my Pokémon from me or from the other passengers," returned Mark. "Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same for any of yours if you'd been there."

Diana let out a sigh. " _I suppose I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't have,_ " she returned. " _Okay, but still... they didn't hurt you did they?_ "

"I got jabbed with a shock baton but otherwise I'm fine," replied Mark.

Diana's face soured. " _That's twice now you've run into the Syndicate," she said. "First at Professor Sycamore's temp lab and now while in transit._ "

Mark nodded. "I'm hoping twice is just a coincidence and that I don't run into them again," he said. "I'm content on leaving criminals to the police."

" _Agreed_ ," stated Diana. " _But you_ are _in Kanto now, right?"_

"I am. Sorry I didn't call sooner; I've been... distracted," he admitted, chuckling. "I caught a new Pokémon, by the way."

"Oh wonderful! What is it?"

"You're going to be surprised at this," began Mark. "It's a bug-type."

"A bu-what? But I thought you didn't like Bug-type Pokémon?"

"I... still really don't like Beedrill, but after encountering this guy, well... I guess they're not _all_ bad," he admitted. "And this poor fella had it rough when I found him. His trainer was a park ranger who passed away of fever while on duty; he was left alone for weeks, and we only found out about him because he was stealing food from the Pokémon League here in Kanto. We tracked him down and I captured him to calm him down."

"Oh how horrible," Diana murmured, her gaze dropping. "The poor thing..." She looked back at Mark again. "What kind of Pokémon is it?"

Mark slid his chair back and reached into his vest, producing Saber's Poké Ball and expanding it. "Saber, come on out," he bade, and the ball opened to release the Scyther, who materialized at Mark's side and beat his wings a little bit as he stretched, eliciting a buzzing sound before he looked up at Mark. "Here he is, mom."

"Oh my, is that a Scyther?" She asked, leaning closer to the camera. Curiously, Saber stepped closer as well to peer at the image, but didn't move any closer than that. "It appears he's familiar with video phones," she commented. "My, he looks _strong_! Well done, son."

"I can hardly take any of the credit," Mark replied, kneeling down and petting Saber's shoulder. "I found him like this; all credit goes to the trainer who raised him before me."

"Well then, they did a fine job," said Diana, looking at the Scyther. "I'm so terribly sorry for your loss... Saber, was it? I hope you find happiness with my son and his team."

Saber frowned somewhat, but he nodded gratuitously to Diana. Mark patted his shoulder again and told Saber he could stay out of his ball for a little while if he wanted. Saber nodded and stepped aside to let Mark resume his call with his mother, wandering over to the window to stare out at the night sky.

"So, have you battled those trainers yet?" Diana asked.

"Two of them, yes," replied Mark. "Let me tell you mom, the trainers here in Kanto are some of the best I've ever seen; Blue Oak, the Viridian Gym leader, was as tough as Steven -strategic and damn tenacious to boot. I barely beat him. I next fought the current Kanto Champion, Lance the Dragon Master, and I'm not exaggerating when I say this guy lives up to both of his titles; he's _way_ stronger than Drake."

"And you managed to beat both of them?"

"By the skin of my teeth. And now I've met Red; I'm due to battle him in less than a week." Mark's gaze lowered, resting his hand on the desk before him. "I can see it, mom; Red's going to be the strongest trainer I have _ever_ faced. Stronger than Wallace, Steven, Randy -any of them. If I can be honest, I'm not entirely sure I can beat him..."

Much to his confusion though, Diana only smiled at him. " _Maybe not, but that's not really the point, is it_?" She asked.

"Wha?" Mark asked, confused by his mother's words.

" _Mark, do you know why I wanted to test you before you left?_ " His mother asked. " _Why I insisted on you battling me before I would let you go?_ "

"I assume it's because you knew I'd grown complacent," he replied.

" _That was part of it, yes. But there was more,"_ she explained. " _When you and I last encountered each other at Ever Grande City, when I challenged you one final time before you would take Victory Road, there was a fire in you I had never seen any time before. I wanted to see just how strong you had become, to see the man that you had become. And when you finally defeated me, I was proud, and I knew then you would become the Champion._

" _But after you did I saw that fire going out,_ " she went on. " _You won every battle after, you stopped training -you came to believe that you were at the highest level of achievement any trainer could make, and as you said yourself, it made you complacent, and it weakened you._ "

Mark grimaced. "Yeah... I think I've come to understand that now," he stated. "Red told me the same thing happened to him while _he_ was the Kanto Champion."

" _Did he_?" Diana asked.

Mark nodded. "Yeah, but unlike me, he realized it before Now here I am, out to challenge him, but have I regained _my_ strength?" He leaned back in his chair. "Or am I just going to get my ass kicked next week?"

Diana chuckled lightly. " _You will soon find out,_ " she said. " _I see that fire awakening in you again; your journey has already reignited your passion. You're finding your strength again; I know it."_ She smiled broadly. " _You will find your way again, and you will see the world before you're through. I have little doubt that when you come back to Hoenn, you_ will _be stronger than you've ever been."_

Mark felt a warmth rising in his chest at the confidence his mother expressed for him, feeling more at ease thanks to her kind words. He smiled broadly at her, and nodded his head slowly. "Thanks mom, I needed that."

" _Anytime; it's what a mother is for_ ," Diana stated. " _Stay strong my boy; I'm sure you'll do great against Red. And don't forget, if you need anything, just call."_

"I will," Mark promised his mother. "Thanks mom; I better let you go for now, and get myself some sleep. Got some busy days ahead of me."

" _Okay son; pleasant dreams. I love you."_

"Love you too mom; I'll call you again soon."

Diana brought a hand to her lips, kissing her fingers before she waved to Mark for a few seconds before she ended the call, the screen going dark and allowing Mark to place the receiver back on the cradle.

Mark let out a sigh, leaning back in his seat and letting his conversation with his mother sink in, feeling rather humbled. His mother had known all along why he wasn't the trainer he once was, and he'd just been too dumb to notice it. But the question remained; was he back to his former strength so soon after making this discovery?

He heard a sigh in the room, and his eyes drifted over to Saber. The Scyther was still by the window, staring out at the skies above, as though counting the stars. He seemed sad; Mark could feel it, and so, standing up from his chair, Mark crossed the room, slowly approaching Scyther from the side to make his presence known to the mantis without startling him. Scyther glanced over at him out of the corner of his eye before turning his gaze back outside again. Mark knelt down, scooting over to stand next to him and joining him in the stargazing.

"Hey, Saber," he bade. "You doing okay?"

The Scyther hummed in reply, lowering his head a little.

"Still thinking about your old trainer, aren't you?" He asked.

Saber nodded his reptilian-esque head, confirming Mark's question.

"I know it hurts, Saber," Mark stated. "And it will for a while... but I'm certain he would be happy, knowing that you have found a new family, and are living out your life. He would _want_ you to be happy; I know this for certain." He rested his hand on the back of Saber's neck. "And I will do my best to do that for him, in honour of his memory."

Saber looked at Mark, still wearing that sad frown, but he met Mark's gaze, expressing a silent thanks to his new trainer for his comforting words. Mark continued to pet the back of his head, doing his best to comfort the Scyther, until an idea passed through his mind.

"Hey Saber," he began. "How would you like to battle with the rest of the team against Red next week?"

Mark knew he had intrigued the Scyther when his face lit up at the question...


	12. Chapter 11

The last two days of the convention proved to be a marvelling experience for Randy and his Pokémon. He shopped for all kinds of memorabilia to add to his growing collection, attended various celebrity events and took part in enjoyable activities that made the days pass all too quickly for him. On the last day, he frowned as he heard the convention center administration announce that the doors would soon be closing, and the fun-filled venture was now over.

He stayed one more night in Celadon to rest up for the trip back to the camp site and rejoin Mark. As he lay in bed that evening, waiting to sleep, he wondered how his companion's training was progressing; he recalled his last conversation with Mark, noting how eager he had been to get started and simply unwilling to wait, and could not help but admire his friend's ambition. Mark was out to take on a challenge few other trainers dared, and was intent on seeing it through the end and put every ounce of effort he could muster into it.

 _'It's sure to be quite the spectacle, seeing him battle Red,_ ' he thought as his eyes slowly shut. _'I wonder if maybe he might just be able to beat him?'_ Was his last thought as he slipped away into his dreams.

The next morning, he slept in for an extra hour, and packed up his belongings before he headed to the post office to have his memorabilia sent back to Hoenn, rather than carry it all around with him. It was unlikely he'd be returning home anytime soon, now that he was travelling with Mark, and he couldn't very well keep a treasure trove of collectibles with him as he travelled from region to region -especially when there might be more to collect, not to mention hazards of the road that could damage the items.

Addressing the package to his mother and including a letter with it asking her to take the items to his house, he paid the postage fee and left it in their hands, reminding them that the contents were fragile. With that, he left the post office, calling Skyclaw from her Poké Ball and climbing onto her back, where she took flight and carried him out of the city, following his directions to head back to the camp site.

"Well girl, our plans may have changed in the long run but I suspect we have more excitement waiting for us, travelling with Mark," he said. "I think this is going to turn into quite the memorable journey."

She grunted in reply, though he wasn't sure if it was out of agreement or skepticism.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the campsite...

Mark ducked under Vitesse's incoming punch, slowed only by the power bracer worn on her arm, and retaliated with a jab of his own, successfully catching her in the stomach. She huffed, absorbing the punch with her abdominal muscles and then swinging with her other fist, catching Mark in the shoulder as he tried to get out of the way.

"Come on, girl; keep at it!" Mark urged her on, and put up his guard again in time to block an oncoming kick that nearly stumbled him. She was still wearing the power anklets he'd given her only days before, and though she was slowed by them, her kicks could still easily send Mark flying if she wasn't holding back as she was.

All around the sparring trainer and Blaziken, Mark's other Pokémon were undergoing their own training regiments. Coal and Siren were target practicing, using projectiles hurled skyward by Tanker as their targets to work on their precision, while Fang and Saber sparred together as well, the Mightyena ducking and dodging the swiping blades of Saber, honing his agility under the Scyther's watchful eye, and sometimes even pursuing Saber when he moved to change location. Fang was wearing the power anklets that previously Coal was wearing, to better develop his speed, while Coal himself was now sharing a power lens with Siren, so that they both could hone their special attack.

With these training items worn by his Pokémon now under his use, Mark was making progress in the development of his team faster than he dared hope was possible. The progress was most obvious with Vitesse; training with these weighted items was a new concept for her, but even with her speed drastically reduced, she was quickly getting used to the added weight, finding new was to compensate for the burden, and in turn giving her new ways to deliver attacks with greater force.

And now, with them practicing their martial arts together, her skills were being finely sharpened for the battle ahead with Red, where they would really shine forth. With or without her Mega Evolution, she was becoming more and more powerful...

But at that moment, her focus was on the sparring match with Mark; she was still attempting to overcome Mark's guard, eventually resorting to a roundhouse kick that Mark had taught her. The kick knocked Mark clear off his feet, but having anticipated it he went limp for the impact, able to successfully roll about in the air and land back o his feet without suffering too much damage.

"Don't focus too much on direct attacks; if you can't go through my guard go _around_ it!" Mark called to her. She looked at him sharply and let out an annoyed squawk at him, holding up her wrists to remind him of the added burden she carried. "Don't worry about the weights; focus on the technique!" Mark returned. "You've beaten faster opponents before and you can do so again!"

She scowled at him, and resumed the attack, charging at him and once more trying to power through his guard, but Mark was ready for that, successfully warding off her punches and kicks and landing several of his own. "Don't get frustrated!" He warned her. "Cool your head; keep focused!"

Adhering to his directions, Vitesse finally came up with a way to overcome Mark's defense, rushing at him she feinted a high strike, prompting Mark to raise his guard for an elevated strike, but then she dropped, falling onto her hands and sweeping at his legs, but unlike when she did this to him at the Pokémon League, he saw it coming, jumping over her leg, after which she came back high with a backwards kick, and once more Mark ducked under it.

"The same techniques never work twice!" Mark scolded her further before he lunged forth and delivered a punch square to her chest before she could regain her balance. She tumbled off her feet, falling onto her back with a grunt, but then hurled her legs up over her had to flip back onto her feet again.

"I know you're tired, girl," Mark bade. "But if we're going to win next week we need to push ourselves to the maximum, do you understand?"

She nodded to him, taking in a deep breath and resuming her combat-ready pose, facing Mark once more. He too resumed his battle stance, and the two inched closer to each other, eyes locked. Vitesse did not make the first attack this time, leaving it up to Mark. He stepped forward with a low, sweeping kick to her ship, but she evaded it easily, and then lunged forward with her leg raised to kick, forcing Mark to jump out of the way to avoid it, but he failed to take advantage of the opening she had left after failing to land the hit.

And that was when she managed to turn the fight around. She tricked Mark once more, going in with another feinted high punch, successfully tricking him, only to then bring her other arm snapping forward to deliver an uppercut to his gut that knocked the wind out of the Pokémon Trainer's lungs. Mark exhaled sharply, gasped for breath before falling onto his backside holding his stomach where she'd hit him.

At first, Vitesse eyed him with concern, wondering if perhaps she had been too rough, but relaxed when Mark looked up at her and smiled. "That's my girl," he said, he wheezed, before coughing and holding his stomach. "Ow... didn't see that one coming." He slowly got back to his feet, shaking his head to clear it and addressed her again. "You see? Even slowed down you can find a way around your opponent's guard. Think of two fencers in a duel; they are always facing each other, and sooner or later one of them leaves an opening the other will take advantage of. Watch for it, see it, take it. Understood?"

Vitesse nodded to Mark in reply, his directions clear to her, and with that, Mark permitted her to take off the training weights and take a break while he went to check on his other Pokémon to see how their training was progressing. He looked up just in time to see three more stone targets hurled skyward by Tanker, and watched as Coal and Siren struck them out of midair with a Dragon Pulse and Water Pulse respectively, demolishing the targets with impressive precision. Meanwhile, Saber's training with Fang was progressing as he hoped; Fang was still successfully dodging Saber's attacks, but he could see the fatigue showing on everyone's faces; they were getting tired.

"Time out!" He called, prompting everyone to stop what they were doing and bringing all eyes onto himself. "Let's all take a little break; who wants some lunch?"

The mention of 'lunch' was certainly enticing to the group; they all left their training areas, and converged at the camp fire where the supplies were. Mark reached into his bag, fishing out some Pokémon food and some bowls, filling up each one and passing them around to the others -except for Tanker. He provided his own food, burying his head into the ground to feed on the minerals and stones underneath.

"Great job today, guys," Mark complimented his team. "It's only been a few days but we're making good progress; I see improvement in you all every day, and after just a few more, we'll be ready for the next leg of our journey, to..."

He paused, noticing that none of his Pokémon were eating. They were just staring. He studied their expressions, and noticed that none of them were even staring at _him_. "Uh... what're you all looking at?" He asked, turning to look behind him.

" _BOOGA BOOGA!"_

A demonic red face screamed at Mark as he turned around, sending his heart leaping right into his throat, followed shortly by him launching from his place out of reflex and practically flying across the campsite to land on Siren's tail, tumbling over her and landing flat on his back. " _Mother_ fu-! _"_ He started to curse, his back aching from his fall. He landed with such a ruckus that Tanker pulled his head out of the ground and glanced over to see what happened.

The guffawing that soon followed Mark's little start was all that he needed to know the identity of his spookster. How scowled as he sat up, rising from behind Siren to glare at the laughing Randy and Shadow standing behind where he had been only seconds before. And it was not just them; Coal was on the ground, rolling around on his back and laughing hysterically. Vitesse and Fang were covering their mouths to try and hide their amusement, but their snickering still escaped enough for Mark to hear, and feel his face flush with colour as he leered at Randy.

"Payback for the jump scare I gave you back at the convention, I presume?" He asked, annoyed.

"Oh, you know it, buddy," replied Randy. "When I saw you were completely oblivious to when I landed I simply couldn't resist, so I called out Shadow to add a little special effect to the spook."

"That's far more than I did to you; this does _not_ make us even," Mark informed him.

"I know," replied Randy, before he held up his camcorder. "But the footage will make it all worth it in the end."

Mark gawked he saw the flashing light of the camcorder showing that it was on record, realizing that Randy had footage of his -rather panicked- reaction to Randy's scare. His face contorted back into a scowl. "I am going to _strangle_ you, Randy!" He barked, leaping over Siren's tail and charging at Randy, who immediately turned and ran, narrowly evading Mark's grabbing hands as she strode away, tossing his camera to Shadow, but Mark kept chasing Randy, but even after all the days of running, Randy still out-sped him and stayed beyond his reach.

Mark chased Randy around the clearing for at least a few minutes before Mark finally gave up, trudging back over to the campsite and sitting back down. "I better not see that online, buddy," he warned.

"Oh, come on, think of how many subscribers we'd get with _that_ little scare."

"Yeah; every tap of the 'Like' button would be another chip off my dignity," returned Mark.

After a moment or two of seething, the two finally changed topics, and started catching up over the events of the past few days. Within a few moments, the little prank was off Mark's mind, and instead on telling Randy about the progress of their training. Randy was especially impressed when Mark told him about him, Vitesse, Coal and Fang all running back to the camp instead of just hiking, especially when Mark mentioned he had Vitesse and Coal using weighted accessories for training.

In the meantime, once his Pokémon had eaten enough to sate their hunger, they went back to their daily exercises. Randy let out his Pokémon to join in on the training sessions; Cairo and Shadow took over as Vitesse's sparring partners for Mark while Thorn and Skyclaw joined in on the target practice with Tanker and Siren. Gemstar gave Fang something new to dodge, firing Water Guns at him to serve as an obstacle course, and Saber switched to sparring with Velox instead.

"So you've been going non-stop since you left the city?" Randy asked. "Damn man, you are committed, ain't ya? And, your Pokémon already show a lot of improvement."

Mark nodded. "I agree," he said. "It's been a rough few days, with more to come, but I think we'll be as ready as we can be when we battle Red."

Randy looked at Mark again. "Any luck on a strategy for that?" He asked.

Mark once more grimaced. "No... I'm still batting zero," he replied, but shook his head before smiling. "But I'm not going to stress myself over it anymore."

"Oh?"

"Nope. This isn't the first time I've gone blind into a battle before; sometimes I've won, sometimes I've lost," returned Mark. "All I can do for them is prepare contingencies, train as much as possible, step into the ring and take my best shot."

Randy nodded. "I agree," he replied. "You can't know _everything_ you're going to face; it might give you a leg up, but when your opponent is an enigma, it's better to just face it head on and think on your feet. It worked for me."

"Sure did," he said.

Randy hummed and rolled his eyes as he had a thought, tilting his head back to look at the sky briefly before his eyes drifted over to Skyclaw, watching as she fired a Flamethrower at one of Tanker's targets, striking it squarely with her fire breath. "...I might have an idea."

"What?" Mark asked.

"The way Blue described Red's mega Charizard, it sounds like it may well be a Dragon-type, right?" Randy asked.

"Well, possibly," replied Mark. "Charizard resembles a Dragon already and it's not unheard of for Pokémon to change typing when they Mega Evolve."

"Exactly, considering Thorn becomes a Dragon-type when he Mega Evolves, and so does an Ampharos," reported Randy.

Mark looked up in surprise. "A Sceptile I knew, but Ampharos becomes a Dragon-type too?"

"Sure does," replied Randy. "But let's just say we don't know for certain in this case, Charizard still looks and fights like a Dragon-type." He gestured over to Skyclaw. "Why not have Vitesse train with Skyclaw to prepare? She'd be about the closest thing I'd have to a Charizard."

"That's..." Mark paused, words catching in his throat as he considered the proposal.

Charizard and Salamence were _somewhat_ similar anatomically, minus the fact that Salamence was a Quadruped and Charizard stood bipedal, but Salamence was perfectly capable of rising onto its hind legs to attack with its foreclaws. It wouldn't be an _exact_ simulation of the battle but with the options available to them it was the closest they could hope for as Randy was the only one with a Dragon-type out of the two of them. Beyond that, as a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, she was probably the only one that even came close to matching Red's Charizard in power.

"That is actually not a bad suggestion," Mark finally concluded.

Randy smiled. "I have my moments," he said. "So, after Vitesse trains for a little bit longer, we'll make Skyclaw her new sparring partner and prepare her for the battle with Red's Charizard." His expression shifted to a grin. "I warn you though, Mark… I'm holding _nothing_ back. If you want to beat Red's Charizard you'll have to beat Skyclaw first."

"I would expect nothing less, Randy," replied Mark.

Randy nodded back. "Alright then," he said, standing up. "Well I'm going to go unpack my stuff and let you get back to work."

"Okay. Talk to you later," Mark returned as Randy walked around him, watching as the other trainer proceeded to his tent and waited until he disappeared behind the flap before turning his attention towards VItesse.

Her sparring match with Cairo and Shadow was still ongoing, focused mostly on battling Cairo with the Zoroark jumping in when the Lucario needed to catch his breath. Shadow was no match for Vitesse in a straight-up fight; even without typing advantage and his role as a balanced fighter like Cairo, Vitesse was just that much stronger and a more skillful combatant than Shadow. Cairo on the other hand was her match in combat, able to fight her to a complete stalemate despite both Fire and Fighting-type having an advantage over his Steel-type.

Then he turned his attention towards Skyclaw, who had left target practice to instead go lie down on the edge of the camp. He studied the Salamence, regarding her size and the dense musculature that formed her body; she was _big_ , and as Mark had learned when he had battled her at the title match with Randy, she had incredible power.

Randy's approach with Skyclaw, when they had battled, was to fool the enemy into believing she relied on speed and distance for combat, making elaborate flight patterns that made her hard to hit and hounding her targets with flamethrower. However, when they would try to close in to bring the fight up close, the deception would be revealed, and she would attack with her physical might -strength enough that even Tanker had been hurt by her strike.

 _'_ _If I can overcome Skyclaw's strength_ and _speed, as well as the flight factor, then I just might have a chance at beating Charizard_ ,' he decided, agreeing with Randy's plan. His other Pokémon were developing well, but she had the biggest challenge out of all of them; to defeat Red's strongest Pokémon.

 _'_ _Well if there's any Pokémon who can do it…_ my _Blaziken can,'_ he thought, confidently, already turning the gears in his mind…

* * *

Over the following days, training continued, with Randy's Pokémon serving as regular sparring partners for those of Mark's Pokémon, all of them working hard to be ready for the coming battle with Red.

The fruits of their labours were beginning to show every hour, but most of Mark's time was devoted to training Vitesse, joining her every morning for a jog, helping her practice her techniques and refreshment on when and how to use each one. Along with her regular exercises, Mark decided that it would be a good idea to refresh her knowledge on Judo techniques -even expand her repertoire of them, to prepare her for the battle with Charizard.

 _'_ _Too bad she can't learn Vital Throw,'_ he thought, disgruntled as he knew of a perfect throw to implement into the attack, but they would have to settle for improvisation.

Some throws, she already knew, such as the Seoi-Nage -the back throw, which Mark had a fondness for; it was quick and easy to execute, especially against larger opponents, he found. Not that he was short; he and Vitesse were the same height, at six feet, three inches tall. But Mark had another he wanted to teach to her.

"If Red's Charizard is a physical attacker as my research suggests," he began, explaining his plan to her. "Chances are he'll be more the frontal assault type, and there's a throw I want to teach you, called the Uki Otoshi -or the floating drop- that'll let you turn a direct attack against him. You ready?"

She nodded eagerly, striking the palm of her left talon with her other fist. "Okay; I better demonstrate first," offered Mark, stretching his arms. "The timing of this move has to be absolutely precise; you'll see why in a sec."

She nodded again, and Mark gestured her to step closer, locking their arms together and widening their respective stances. Mark counted down from three, and at one, they hopped back a couple of steps before he dropped down to one knee, pulling harshly down on the arm on the same side as that knee. Vitesse squawked in alarm as her feet suddenly left the ground, flipping about in the air before she was thrown onto her back, grunting painfully.

Mark released her arms. "You okay?"

She clucked in reply, looking up at Mark as he helped her up.

"So, you saw how that worked?"

Once again, she answered with a nod.

"Alright, you give it a try now."

And so, Mark turned to being the attacker, making several attempted attacks at Vitesse to teach her the Uki Otoshi throw. Of course, she wasn't as good with the throws as he was -her timing was sometimes off. Mark's greater speciality with the throws had often been his advantage over her in their sparring matches.

He showed her the throw four more times, out of the eight times she tried, she actually did manage it successfully on her sixth attempt, but failed on the two after. She was half-successful on the ninth, executing the maneuver correctly but her grip on Mark slipped, and the human was instead sent hurtling through the air. The trainer yelped in surprise as he was sent flying, but forced himself not to tense up, broke his fall by rolling as he hit the ground and avoided any injury.

Vitesse squawked in shock and ran to Mark's side, fearing that she had hurt him, but before she even reached him, he was already sitting up, and looked up at her with a chuckle.

"Almost had it that time," he said. "Let's keep trying." But he quickly noted the look of uncertainty on her face as he tried to stand up, and tilted his head curiously at her. "What's the matter?"

As Mark watched her, he noticed her gaze had drifted down to his side. He followed her gaze, noticing his shirt had been pulled up during his unexpected flight, exposing the scar on his side; the three discoloured slash marks, which were from Vitesse's talons from back when she was a Combusken. It didn't take long for him to realize what was bothering her, and he let out a sigh, standing up and looking at her.

"You still feel guilty over that, huh?" He asked her, earning a slow nod in response from the Blaziken. "Oh, you silly bird," he said in a low voice, reaching up with his left hand to scratch her neck comfortingly. She cooed lightly, shutting her eyes and leaning into his hand. "Accidents happen, girl. I know you'd never intentionally hurt me, anymore than I would you. Now come on," he pulled back his hand and stepped back from her. "We've got more training to do. You're going to be battling one of the most famous Pokémon in the history of Kanto, so let's show 'em what a team from Hoenn can do, alright?"

With those motivating words, Vitesse was ready to resume, clenching her taloned hands back into fists and nodding firmly to her trainer.

They spent the better part of the afternoon practicing the Uki Otoshi, and by the time they were both too exhausted to continue, it was already beginning to get dark. Mark called all his Pokémon back to the camp, and they shared a hearty meal to conclude the day's events. Mark would give them tomorrow to give most of them time to rest, except for Vitesse as she had her sparring match with Skyclaw to look forward to.

At the thought of that, Mark began to wonder what tricks to expect from Randy. Even if it was only meant to be a sparring match, Skyclaw was a powerful Dragon-type Pokémon, easily on par with any of Lance's dragons -and none of them had Mega Evolution at their disposal, which she would. Fortunately, Mark had faced a Mega Salamence before -the one belonging to Drake of the Elite Four, but that one had been defeated by Fang, not by Vitesse. Even so, Skyclaw was only acting as a stand in for Vitesse's _real_ opponent, who would be nothing like her.

Still, it was the most practical thing to try, as neither one of the trainers had a Charizard to practice with. _'Not yet anyway,'_ thought Mark, casting a glance at Coal out of the corner of his eye, whom was wolfing down a bowl of food in his claws.

Fantasia, his mother's Rapidash, Randy's Zangoose, Blue's Alakazam -working in tandem with Fang, and most incredible of all, Lance's mighty Haxorus. Coal was young, but he was getting some excellent combat experience as of late, and it was proven that said experience caused Pokémon to mature more quickly -though no one understood how or why. Did this mean that he would evolve sooner?

Mark shrugged, turning to look at the fire. _'I suppose I'll find out soon enough,'_ he thought, leaning back and relaxing as he warmed his feet by the fire.

The next morning, Mark emerged from his tent to find Randy was already up as well, preparing breakfast for the two -some packaged cereal and fire-toasted bread. Mark joined him by the fire, and they shared the breakfast.

"You never struck me as an early riser," Mark commented as they started eating. "I'm not," clarified Randy. "But I'm so stoked for your battle with Red tomorrow that I could barely sleep." He giggled like a child on a sugar rush, shifting side to side and trembling with excitement. "It's going to be freaking _awesome_ I just know it."

"Why are you so hyped about it? It's not like you're the one battling," Mark pointed out.

"Maybe not, but like I said, I just have this feeling it's going to be a battle so epic people would be paying to see it," said Randy. "Two former Champions; the Kanto Legend, Red, versus Mark the master strategist of Hoenn."

 _"_ _Master_ strategist?" Mark echoed, giving Randy an incredulous look. "I think you're giving me way too much credit, man; you're making me sound like some famous general or something."

"Hey, it's got to sound good or it won't sell, right?" Randy returned. "Maybe I _should_ sell tickets to it…" He paused as he caught a dirty stare from Mark. "I'm _kidding_."

Mark smirked slightly, and then shrugged. "If I was doing this for the fame, I'd wait until the next World Tournament -if one ever happens."

"I sure hope one does," agreed Randy. "Don't care where it is; if there's another Pokémon World Tournament I am _totally_ entering."

"Me too," agreed Mark, and then he added wryly. "Though if I beat all the top contestants before it even happens, maybe they should make me the next World Champion too." Of course, he was kidding as well.

Randy barked out a laugh. "Hey, I beat you, don't forget," he reminded.

"Things change," replied Mark. "I'd like to think so have I."

"Oh really?" Randy asked, looking at Mark with an arched eyebrow. "So, you're saying that now you could beat me?"

"Well, we were going to find out today, weren't we?" Mark asked, smiling back at his friend.

"In a one on one," reminded Randy. "Hardly enough for a decisive battle."

"Then what was that back on the _Julia_?" Mark asked.

"A battle just for fun," replied Randy. "What, you want to count that one?"

"Absolutely," replied Mark. "And the way I see it, Coal kicked Velox's ass."

Randy's eyes narrowed, but his mouth stretched into a wide grin. "Alright then… how about we up the ante a little?" He asked. "Instead of just the one on one that we planned, let's make a three on three."

"Sounds good to me," he said. "We'll stick to the plan to put Vitesse against Skyclaw though, and make it a best two out of three battle."

"Challenge accepted, buddy," replied Randy, still smiling as he laughed giddily once more. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

Quickly finishing their breakfast, they stood up and moved to a safe distance from the campsite, making sure they had plenty of room for their imminent battle. Mark let out all his Pokémon, so that he could select them from a group and let the others spectate. Having a similar idea, Randy let out his team as well, and both sides gathered and faced the other, with Mark and Randy's eyes meeting even from twenty meters apart.

Mark felt his heartrate increasing. The last time he'd battled Randy seriously was their title match at the league, and there Mark only managed to defeat half of his Pokémon. Now the battle was toned down, but Randy was no less cunning now than he was before, and that was something Mark would have to look out for.

"Alright, Mark," Randy called to him. "You asked for it, so now you'll get it. Since you're the challenger, that means I pick first, eh?"

"That's right," agreed Mark.

"Then here's my choice," Randy returned. "Gemstar, you're up first."

At the call of its name, the Starmie jumped into the air, landing before Randy and hopping forward a little more to take position in front of him. At Randy's choice, Mark narrowed his eyes, considering his options. _'Water-type… and I don't have Palm Tree or any electric types -only Vitesse knows an Electric attack, but I'm saving her for Skyclaw. Besides, Starmie's also a Psychic-type; best not to use a Fighting-type.'_

Mark was about to decide on Fang, to send a Dark-type to take on Gemstar's Psychic-type, but he froze the middle of calling out to him, catching his words in his throat. _'Wait a second_ ,' he thought, turning back to face Randy again.

"What's wrong, Mark?" He called. "Having trouble deciding?"

"You called me a strategist; I'm strategizing," Mark retorted, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed the rest of Randy's group, studying them until his eyes found Shadow, who was just staring ahead, barely moving. _'I can't be certain of Randy's choices,_ ' he thought. _'He got me with that trick with Shadow once before; Shadow could use his illusion trick to impersonate_ any _Pokémon_ ; _if I use Fang, and that turns out to be Shadow, there goes my Psychic immunity, and Shadow's too quick for Fang to catch, not to mention being almost as powerful as Cairo.'_

He surveyed the rest of his team, wondering who he could pick that would be able to carry this battle. _'If that is Gemstar, or Shadow in disguise…_ ' his eyes fell upon Saber. _'Then either way, the tactically best choice for this battle… is actually a Bug-type, because Dark and Psychic share a weakness to Bug-type.'_

"Saber," Mark said to the Scyther, earning a questioning look from the mantis. "Ready for your first battle with your new team."

Saber's eyes narrowed, but Mark saw him smile, and without hesitation the Scyther dashed forward, taking position in front of Mark and eliciting a shrill cry as he shifted his stance.

"So, giving Saber a go, are you?" Randy asked.

"It'll be our first battle," Mark replied. "Why miss the opportunity?"

Randy nodded in agreement. "A good plan," he said. "Alright; Gemstar versus Saber it is then."

 _'_ _If that_ is _Gemstar,_ ' Mark thought. _'But even if it is, Saber still has an advantage thanks to his typing, and even though Randy focuses on making all of his Pokémon fast, Saber's faster still._ '

"Ready?" Mark asked Saber, who scraped his blades together in reply before widening his stance. "Okay, Saber; let's do this!"

"Bring it on!" Randy barked in challenge. "Come at me bro!"

Mark narrowed his eyes once more, this time with suspicion. _'He's trying to bait me, but Randy's patient; he'll just keep waiting until I make the first move._ ' Remembering his mother's advice, Mark instead gave Saber a different order. "Use Swords Dance!"

Saber crossed his arms over his chest, and began to twirl in place, ethereal blades of blue energy forming around him and crossing above his head as he continued to spin, until just as suddenly as he began, he stopped, throwing out his arms and shrieking towards the sky as a red glow flashed around his body. Randy, expecting the imminent attack now that Saber had powered up, issued his first comment.

"Reflect!"

The glowing center of the Starmie shone brightly, and a veil of energy appeared around it as Mark gave Saber his own command upon hearing Randy's choice. "Feint!"

Saber charged forth, wings beating so swiftly that they were invisible as he lunged at the Starmie, blade drawn back to strike, only to suddenly halt mid-attack in front of the Starmie, which tensed in readiness for his attack, only for Saber to spontaneously vanish in a blur, and reappear at Gemstar's side, kicking it in the flank and sending it flying.

Gemstar recovered quickly, spinning itself as it descended and then landing back in an upright position -assuming it had any 'true' upright position, considering it was a ten-pointed star… thing, Mark mused. But if it _was_ Shadow in disguise, he hadn't lost his concentration even after that kick, and even though Feint bypassed defensive attacks like Protect, Reflect reduced physical damage altogether regardless of the attack's execution.

"Now, Fury Cutter!" Mark called; using a Bug-type move would guarantee a powerful hit either way.

But as Saber moved in to the attack, Mark was made aware of his error. "Power Gem!"

 _'_ _Wait, what?!'_ Mark thought. "Saber, look out!"

But it was too late. Gemstar's gemstone core glowed brightly before a bright red beam of energy shot forth from the core, striking Saber square in the chest and sending him falling onto his back with a cry of agony, holding the flat side of one of his blades against his chest where he was hit.

"Shit, I thought that was Shadow in disguise!" Mark called.

Randy barked out a laugh. "Seriously?" He asked. "When Gemstar used Reflect, you should've known right away that it wasn't Shadow -Zoroark can't learn Reflect! Let alone Power Gem!"

"Saber, are you okay?" Mark called. Power Gem was a Rock-type move, and he had no idea Starmie could learn it, but either way it was an especially deadly attack to be used against a Scyther -Bug and Flying-types alike were both weak against them, and Scyther was both types.

Much to Mark's relief, Saber was standing back up, coughing and stilling pressing his arm against his chest, but still able to fight. _'I need to stop overthinking things when I battle this guy; I made that same screw up last time when I mistook Cairo for Shadow, and now I just did the same for Gemstar, and Saber paid for it. I can't let Saber take another hit like that; I promised to take care of him.'_

"Here's another surprise!" Randy called. "Gemstar, Thunderbolt!"

The Starmie began to levitate and spin in place at the command, generating electricity as it spun around. Yet again Mark was nearly caught off guard by the unexpected attack, but he forcefully shook it off, and thought back to Saber's moves, picking the first one that came to mind. "Double Team!"

Saber crossed both arms over his chest again, and just as the bolt of electricity shot forth from Gemstar's spinning form, Saber seemingly split into two copies of himself, the bolt striking harmlessly where he had been less than a second before. As this continued, he seemingly continued to multiply, until there were five copies of himself.

Dumbfounded by the use of Double Team, Randy changed up his strategy, and Gemstar, at Randy's command, ceased spinning and fired a Bubblebeam from the top point of its body, which bent forward to aim and the stream of tiny, condense, fast-moving bubbles burst forth, but they harmlessly passed through the copy.

 _'_ _Yes, it worked!'_ Mark thought, triumphantly. "Double Hit!"

Saber suddenly revealed himself from among the crowd, the rest vanishing as he charged forward, striking Gemstar twice with the inner curve of his blades, hard enough to generate sparks as they struck the metallic face around the gem-encrusted core. Gemstar stumbled backward, a low humming sound emitting from the Pokémon as it was struck, as if the strike had disoriented it.

"Gemstar, Recover!" Randy called.

Gemstar's core glowed again, and this time the glow expanded from the core and enshrouded its entire body. With that, it turned to 'face' Scyther again, and at Randy's command, fired another Bubblebeam at Scyther, who jumped out of the way.

Mark remembered the secondary ability of Bubblebeam, and knew what Randy was attempting. _'He's trying to slow Saber down to make him vulnerable,'_ he thought. _'I don't think so._ ' "Saber, stay on the evasive -wear it down!"

Saber complied, swiftly moving out of the way of Gemstar's incoming second attempt at Bubblebeam, and took to the air, banking and ducking under every stream of bubbles and Power Gem rays aimed at him, and when Gemstar attempted another Thunderbolt, Saber once more used Double Team at Mark's command and made six copies of himself, making all of Gemstar's attacks fail as they had no target.

When Mark saw his chance, he made his final command. "Now, Fury Cutter!"

Saber's illusions once more disappeared, finally revealing the real Saber behind the Starmie. With his blinding speed, he struck Gemstar before it could even turn around, landing the powerful Fury Cutter, and then a second, and a third and finally a fourth, each strike more powerful than the next, all within a single second. Even with the effects of Reflect, Scyther's sheer power and speed overwhelmed Gemstar's defenses, and after the strikes ended, it collapsed, its gem core blinking like a warning light on a machine.

"Damn, man!" Randy cursed, running out to the battlefield to the Starmie's side. "Hang on, Gem," he said as he reached into his bag and produced a Super Potion to treat the Starmie's injury.

"Is she okay?" Mark called, and then grunted; why'd he referred to Gemstar as a she? Starmie were genderless.

"Seems to be," replied Randy as he sprayed the potion on Gemstar, treating the scraps left by Scyther's blades when using Fury Cutter. "But damn, bro; Saber is freaking _savage_ when he attacks."

"I noticed," returned Mark, glancing at the Scyther as he returned to his side. "Can't argue with the results. Well done, Saber; not bad for our first battle." He looked at the Scyther's chest. "How's the wound; any injury?"

Saber put the flat of his blade against his chest, letting out a rumble before pulling his arm away and shifting his shoulders. "Some mild bruising?" Mark asked, earning a nod from Saber. With that, Mark turned to run back to the camp to pick up his medical supplies, but did not walk one step before he looked down and saw Fang standing in front of him, clenching Mark's knapsack in his jaws.

"Hey, thanks Fang," Mark said gratuitously, lowering himself to one knee and taking the bag from Fang, reaching out with his other hand and petting the Mightyena's neck, followed by a scratch behind the ear. "Good boy, good boy."

Fang panted happily until Mark pulled away, turning back to help Saber. Reaching into the medicine pouch, he retrieved a tube filled with a cream meant for soothing muscles pains and bruising, which he uncapped and asked Saber to step closer, which he did. He then spread the pain relief cream over Saber's chest, rubbing it in gently so as not to agitate the bruising further.

"Once we're done here, we'll head to a Pokémon Center to get you some proper healing," Mark told him. "For now, the cream will soothe it until then."

Saber rumbled in reply, nodding to Mark. With the cream applied, Saber moved aside to let it take effect, and for the battle to continue.

With Gemstar and Saber both cared for, Mark and Randy were free to continue their battle. The first round was Marks; the second round was about to begin.

"Well, winner chooses first," Randy said, gesturing to Mark with a wave of his hand. "Pick your next one, buddy."

Mark nodded, and looked back at his other Pokémon, wondering who to send out. _'Let's see… Velox, Cairo, Shadow and Thorn. What do they all have in common? Every one of them can fight at close range -one who can_ only _do that. Second Vitesse is the logical choice for any one of them, having one typing that beats at least one of theirs. But I'm saving her to take on Skyclaw, and Randy's doing the same. I don't think Fang would have a chance against Cairo, though, and if I pick him chances are that's just who Randy would pick._ '

He glanced at Tanker. _'With all of them being physically viable Tanker's defense would be useful, but Cairo and Shadow both have the means to beat him_ , _'_ he then glanced at Siren. _'And as well as Siren can take a hit, Thorn would curb stomp her -he's just too powerful to beat with defense alone.'_

Finally, his eyes fell upon Coal. _'Do I dare use him? It's true that I've had a good run with him so far. I already know he can handle three of them… so if I use Coal, Randy will likely use Shadow -Coal already beat Velox once and could do it again. No advantage for either side. I'll have to chance it; I might lose, if I choose anyone else Randy has an instant advantage.'_

"Okay Coal, you're up," Mark said.

Coal growled excitedly, bounding forward and taking position, blowing smoke from his nostrils and grinning widely as he faced Randy.

Randy hummed with thought at Mark's choice, and then turned to look over his shoulder. "Thorn, come on up," he said.

 _'_ _Wait, what?'_ Mark wondered aloud. _'Why the heck is he picking Thorn? A Grass-type against a Fire-type; it doesn't make sense.'_

But Thorn stepped forward, taking position before Randy, and Mark was left dumbfounded as he tried to fathom just why Randy would make such a deliberate tactical error. _'He did this when he sent Cairo against Vitesse when we last battled, and I quickly found out why. From what I remember about Thorn there's nothing he has that gives him an advantage over a Fire-type. Randy is up to something… I have to be on my guard.'_

"I bet I know what you're thinking," Randy called in a mocking, singsong voice.

"I bet you don't," Mark retorted in a similar manner. "Coal, Flame Burst!"

Coal inhaled deeply before quickly spitting out a fireball, sending it hurtling towards Thorn, but the Sceptile merely dashed to the side, avoiding it nonchalantly and even avoiding the mini fireballs that followed its impact, scattering all around, but not a one touched the Sceptile.

"Seed Bomb!" Randy called.

Thorn dropped to all fours, arching his back with his tail raised to expose the seeds on his back. After this, the seeds launched from his back, arching through the air; Mark ordered Coal to move out of the way as the seeds began to fall, bombarding where he had been standing less than a second before and exploding upon impact.

Coal narrowly avoided the volley of exploding spheres, the last of them throwing dirt at him but he turned his head away in time to avoid it. But then, Thorn, in a dazzling display of speed, appeared in front of Coal before the Charmeleon even had time to turn his head back in the Sceptile's direction. Thorn grinned in response to Coal's shocked look before whipping around and smacking the Charmeleon with his tail, without Randy even calling out an attack.

Coal was bowled over by the strike, but righted himself and sprang back onto his feet. "Headbutt!" Mark called, and Coal launched himself at Thorn, but once again the Sceptile just twisted his body out of the way, sending the Charmeleon flying harmlessly past, almost comically so, as the Charmeleon flailed his limbs to keep control and land on his feet, spinning around to face Thorn once more.

And as before, Thorn was right there, and delivered a Low Kick to Coal's stomach, once more sending him from his feet, several feet through the air and skidding along the ground.

"Hey! That was dirty!" Mark called.

"Believe it or not, Mark, Thorn's holding back," Randy stated. "He could have done way worse than that."

Mark growled angrily, before issuing Coal his next order. "Coal, jump to the side and use Ember!"

Following Mark's command, Coal leapt aside just as Thorn dashed forward, going to the Sceptile's right and twisting his body in midair, throwing flames from the end of his tail at Thorn. The Sceptile suffered four miniature fireballs to his side; one to the leg, one in the flank and two to his arm -one of which was because he put it up to protect his face. He snarled painfully, and at Randy's command attacked with Leaf Blade, but Coal repeated the maneuver, this time backflipping away and showering Thorn with more flames.

"Now, Dragon Pulse!"

While Thorn was still wincing from the Ember, Coal fired a Dragon Pulse at the Sceptile; being only five feet away the attack was close ranged, giving Thorn the full force of it and sending him skidding. He struggled to stay on his feet, digging his claws into the ground to anchor himself, eventually sliding to a stop.

"Impressive," Randy complimented. "I didn't think Ember could be used like that."

"Never undersell even a weak attack used at the right moment," Mark returned. "You'd be surprised what they can do."

"I'll keep that in mind," returned Randy. "Thorn, Leaf Blade!"

Thorn held out his arms, the leaves that sprouted from his arms glowing and merging into once before extending into scythe-like blades that angled behind him. He growled low before dashing forward once more to attack. Though Mark didn't believe it was even _possible_ at this point, Thorn was even faster than before, closing the distance between himself and Coal with barely a second to count. Coal, acting on instinct, tried to avoid the attack, but barely managed even a hop before the leave blade connected with his stomach, caving in his belly and leaving a shallow cut, as well as knocking the wind out of him.

Coal fell onto his back, and before he could even start to get up, Thorn was on top of him, punching both fists into the ground on either side of his head to cross his leaf blades in front of Coal's throat, pinning the Charmeleon to the ground.

"Ah schnitzel," Mark grunted.

"Owned," Randy returned, blowing air into his palm and rubbing his side with it, all while wearing that smug grin.

Thorn climbed off Coal and Mark summoned him back to his side, checking the cut left by the leaf blade to the stomach he'd taken. As he expected, it wasn't very deep -a minor laceration, really. Of course, Thorn would never attack with a full power leaf blade, else he could have done much more damage -even with Coal's natural resistance to grass-type attacks.

"You should be okay, but just in case," Mark said, reaching for his bag and digging out a super potion, only to frown as he realized he was running low. "I'm down to my last few sprays," he said.

"Need to borrow one?" Randy offered.

"I might, depending on how the next battle goes," Mark replied, spraying some of the contents over Coal's wound, making sure to coat the whole length of the cut with the medicinal liquid.

When Mark was satisfied, Coal returned to the rest of the group, and that was Vitesse's cue to step forth to take his place for the battle with Skyclaw, who also stepped in front of her trainer, ready to begin.

"Been a while since we used this, Skyclaw," Randy commented as he reached into his shirt to fish out the necklace carrying his keystone, resting it on his palm as he addressed his dragon. "You ready?"

Skyclaw let out a deep snarl of affirmation, spreading her huge wings out widely, and that was all Randy needed. "Mega Evolve!" He called, clenching his keystone in his hand as it shone brightly, tendrils of light arching out between his fingers and striking Skyclaw. She glowed brightly, obscuring her from sight, before she became engulfed in that violet, crystalline sphere that always formed like a chrysalis when a Pokémon mega evolved, and when it shattered it would reveal Skyclaw in her new form.

In her regular body, she had been large, muscular and bulky, as was normal for Salamence. But when she emerged from the sphere of power, her body was anything but bulky now; she had acquired a far more streamlined appearance. The fins growing from her head had transformed, the top two becoming longer. Her neck was narrower and the gray scaling of her lower jaw had been shed, replaced instead by red colouring that matched the streak on her neck.

The next changes were to the armour-like scales of her underbelly, which had transformed into a vest-like plating in which she could fit her forelegs for more aerodynamics, but the most startling of all were her wings; they had merged together from the pair of long, leathery dragon wings into a single, crescent-moon shaped wing that rested on her back, stretching out and curving forward until the points nearly reached eye level on her.

It had been a while since Mark had seen a Mega Salamance. _'Fang was able to beat Drake's Salamence at the Hoenn League, but now it's Vitesse's turn.'_ He held up his arm, and touched two fingers to the keystone on his wrist, which shone with the same light as Randy's own stone, enveloping Vitesse in the same kind of light.

When she emerged from the sphere, she had ascended to Mega Evolved form, unleashing a shrill cry and throwing out her arms as she became filled with power, the ribbons of fire extending from her wrists flaring brightly before she shifted to a combat-ready stance.

"Alright, Mark; are _you_ ready?" Randy demanded.

"Ready," Mark returned. "Vitesse?"

She screeched in response, the flames on her wrists intensifying again.

"Go!" Mark called.

"Let's get 'em, Skyclaw!" Randy chimed.

The two Pokémon charged forward. Skyclaw's increase in speed was made apparent when she shot forward like a missile, rearing back and stretching out her foreclaws to attack with Dragon Claw. Vitesse easily ducked out of the way of the claw attack and at Mark's command struck out with Thunderpunch, driving her fist hard into Skyclaw's stomach. The female dragon wheezed from the punch, but then smacked Vitesse with her claw, knocking her away.

"Headbutt!"

Skyclaw lunged forward, and snapped her head forth like a scorpion's tail attempting to sting, bashing the dazed Blaziken with her head and sending her falling into the grass. Mark eyed Skyclaw curiously for a second, but stayed focused on the task at hand, urging Vitesse to move. She did, barely rolling away as Skyclaw attacked with another Dragon Claw, once again missing but just barely.

"Blaze Kick!" Mark called as Skyclaw closed in to attack again.

Skyclaw was reared up on her hind legs with claws raised, but VItesse was faster, throwing her leg upward to kick Skyclaw in the face with her long leg, stumbling her. The fire-type attack wasn't very effective against the dragon, but the impact of the kick was what did the job. With that, Vitesse threw her legs over her head to jump back onto her feet, dropping on all fours, and at Mark's command, charged at Skyclaw and delivered another Thunderpunch to Skyclaw's face.

"Now, Dual Chop!" Mark called.

"Headbutt again!"

Skyclaw, shaking off the Thunderpunch, narrowly avoided the knife hand strike from Vitesse, and as she wound up for another she was bludgeoned on the face by Skyclaw's head, causing her to recoil in pain.

"Giga Impact!" Randy bellowed.

Skyclaw took flight at the command and soared at Vitesse with a deafening roar as a white light formed around it with a conical shape as she attacked.

"Vitesse, look out!" Mark cried out, but it was too late.

Skyclaw landed the Giga Impact, and Vitesse was sent flying. She did not fly far, however, before a blue glow formed around her and stopped her in midair, catching her and saving her from any imminent injury the impact with the ground would have caused her, but she immediately devolved back into an ordinary Blaziken. It did not take Mark long to figure out that Gemstar had caught Vitesse with Psychic, and brought the Blaziken back over to Mark.

She was gently sent down, entering a coughing fit as the Psychic veil dissipated from her. Mark was by her side instantly, supporting her with his arms as Fang dragged Mark's bag over so that he could reach for anything he needed.

"Are you okay girl?" Mark asked, concerned.

With a few more coughs, the Blaziken managed to gather enough of her breath to turn to Mark and nod weakly, holding her chest where she had taken the brunt of Skyclaw's attack.

"She okay?" Randy asked.

"Yeah, she's okay," Mark replied. "I guess we underestimated Skyclaw a bit."

Randy chuckled. "Skyclaw may not be as fast as Thorn when he's Mega Evolved, but she is easily his equal in terms of power," explained Randy. "We _did_ have a bit of an advantage though; you're familiar with Mega Salamence's ability, right?"

It occurred to Mark that he didn't know what ability Salamence gained in Mega Evolution, and so he had no choice but to reply honestly. "No, I'm not."

"It's called Aerialite," explained Randy. "It turns all Normal-type attacks -like Headbutt and Giga Impact, into Flying-type moves, which since Salamence is a Flying-type as well gives it a natural boost in power too."

"And Fighting-types are weak to Flying-type," Mark concluded, letting out a sigh. "Looks like you win this round, man."

"Brains may usually beat brawn, but both of our Pokémon are fast _and_ strong," Randy explained, reaching over to Skyclaw and petting her neck with his hand as she devolved back into the form of an ordinary Salamence. "So, at that point it came down to type advantage and strategy; I knew something you didn't, and that won me the day."

Mark chuckled light-heartedly. "You haven't changed at all; still as elusive as we _last_ battled. Seems even the experience from that didn't help me get a better read on you."

"Staying unpredictable is exactly how I do things, buddy," returned Randy. "And I never stop trying to devise new tricks to keep it that way."

"That makes you a pretty good strategist yourself," Mark commented.

"Eh, the word my last challenger -before Brendan- was 'cunning'," he said. "I can live with that."

Mark nodded, before putting a hand to his chin in thought. "But if Vitesse can't beat Skyclaw, can she beat Charizard?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think we can compare Skyclaw to Charizard," replied Randy. Skyclaw shot him a dirty look, and then leaned over to bite him on the head again, holding his head between her jaws. "Not what I meant, girl!" He cried, prying her jaws open enough to pull his head out of her mouth, glaring at her for a moment until she turned away with a huff. "What I was getting at, a Mega Salamence is one of the fastest Dragon-type Pokémon in the world, but a Mega _Charizard_ is all about power, and that's what you need to be ready for. I know you can think on your feet man, and that's just what you'll have to do."

Mark nodded again in agreement, hearing logic in Randy's words and once more slipping into thought as he sat next to Vitesse, absently reaching over to the medicine pouch of his bag and feeling around for something to give her, eventually closing his fingers around an plastic tube. He pulled it out, looking at it, and confirming it was the same ointment he had given to Saber, but trying to use it on Vitesse would just smear it all over her feathers. He put it back inside, and groaned, realizing he didn't have anything to give her.

"Are we going for a second round?" Randy inquired.

"That's up to Vitesse," Mark replied, looking at the Blaziken. "Try using Roost; let's see if that helps," he instructed her. "Then we'll wait a few hours to let my keystone recharge."

Within a few hours of rest, Vitesse and Skyclaw could Mega Evolve again, and the battle was ready to resume. Their trainers used their keystones to draw out the inner power of the Blaziken and Salamence to ascend them to their most powerful forms and began their battle anew.

This time, Mark continued to watch Skyclaw's moves more carefully to help identify which attack she was about to use, while Vitesse's ever increasing speed allowed her to outmaneuver the dragon while she was on the ground. Sensing her disadvantage, Randy ordered Skyclaw to take flight; she compliantly took to the air, avoiding an incoming Thunderpunch from Vitesse, who looked up and watched as the Salamence ascended skyward.

She was about to jump at Skyclaw when Mark called out. "Stop!" He yelled. "Don't jump at her; she's too fast! Stay where you are!"

Skyclaw circled overhead, waiting for Randy's next command. He ordered her to use Flamethrower, and the dragon swooped in and exhaled a cone of flames at Vitesse, but she easily banked out of the way, keeping her gaze firmly locked on Skyclaw to watch her, as Mark did. These failed flamethrowers continued several times until Randy knew it was futile, and once more caught Mark off guard with an attack he didn't expect.

"Swagger!"

What happened next left Mark somewhat muddled as he had never seen Skyclaw behave in the manner she soon did. She landed on the ground ahead of Vitesse, letting her mouth hang open and eliciting a weird, guttural sound and shook her body side to side, waving her tail above her head in a taunting manner. Vitesse blinked, and then shook her head as the effects found her; Mark's heart sank when he saw Vitesse's eyes cross, followed by a deep scowl.

"Vitesse, stop!" Mark called as she ran, drunkenly, towards Skyclaw, but in her confused state she couldn't hear him.

"Giga Impact!" Randy called.

Skyclaw launched herself forward, once more unleashing the powerful attack that would surely win the battle for her. Mark braced himself as he saw Vitesse about to be blown away by the mighty dragon Pokémon's attack…

Much to his relief, and his amusement at how it happened, Vitesse weaved out of the way, stumbling off her feet and sending Skyclaw flying harmlessly past like a missile thrown off-course and flying continuously until the Salamence finally managed to slow herself down enough to reorient herself.

"Vitesse, come on, shake it off!" Mark called out to his Blaziken, trying to reach her through her confused state. She responded to his voice, but her vision was still adrift; she couldn't focus, and would continue to falter in following his commands if he didn't do something.

Skyclaw was moving in to attack again, with Randy once more calling for a Giga Impact. She soared towards Vitesse at breakneck speeds; she wouldn't be able to luckily stumble out of the path of the attack this time; she had only seconds to react!

" _VITESSE!"_ Mark bellowed at the top of his lungs.

His voice finally reached her; she shook off her confusion, and looked over just in time to see Skyclaw racing towards her, eyes furrowed aggressively as she soared. Even with her speed, she would never dodge in time. She reacted purely on instinct, dropping as low as she could, and made her move as Skyclaw began to pass over, grabbing Skyclaw by the neck and putting her other talon against the dragon's armoured chest.

The dragon screamed -not roared, screamed, as she was suddenly flipped around and sent smashing into the ground with bone-jarring force, all her speed and weight turned against her Vitesse's maneuver. She was sent sliding across the ground, shredding the vegetation and topsoil with her massive wings until she finally came to a stop, and there she went still.

At that moment, Skyclaw devolved back into the form of a regular Salamence, unconscious.

"Skyclaw!" Randy called, running out to the dragon's side to check on her.

Mark and Vitesse both stood panting, the intensity of those last few seconds weighing heavily on them, but upon hearing Randy call out to his Pokémon they shook off their bewilderment and ran over to check the dragon along with Randy -the sheer impact of her hitting the ground would have shaken even Tanker, Mark felt, given the long trail of ruined grass and soil the Salamence had left behind.

When Skyclaw awoke to the sound of Randy's voice, she hissed painfully as she tried to roll over onto her left, deigning instead to roll the other way and stand up. Her left wing hung limply at her side, and she growled in pain as Randy checked it, moving it as much as he dared knowing her temperament.

"Is she alright?" Mark asked.

"Her wing's hurt," replied Randy. "No damage to the skin; probably just sprained or pulled."

"We better get her to a Pokémon center then; we can't treat that here," Mark stated.

"No, we can't," replied Randy. "Except there's one problem."

"What?"

Randy turned to look at Mark. _"She_ was our ride back to the city," he reminded him, which immediately brought Mark's triumphant mood crashing down to Earth.

Their only flier's wing was hurt, leaving her out of commission. Though Mark had run back to this camp from Celadon City he hadn't intended to do so again afterword; the plan had been to fly on Skyclaw's back to the nearest town, but now, with a camp to take down, equipment to return and many kilometers separating them from the nearest town, they and all their Pokémon now knew they had no quick way back to civilization.

Mark let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing his eyes for a moment before stating, defeatedly, their only option.

"Looks like we're walking…" He said, before adding darkly in his mind. _'Next time you go somewhere far away from the city… bring Palm Tree.'_

 _Hey all. Sorry it's been such a long time since I updated this; as some of you might know I lost the privilege to take my laptop with me to work so I've no longer been able to write during the slow hours of the day. As a result my progress has slowed to a painfully slow level. Beyond that I was also having some difficulty with this chapter; I went back and rewrote it two or three times because I didn't want it to just look like some filler, but it's still not the final chapter. The next one I promise will be._

 _I hope this chapter will suffice until I finally get that one done. Please enjoy, and leave a comment._


	13. Chapter 12

After ten blistering hours of walking, Mark and Randy had finally made it back to the city, hungry, ragged and ready for a rest. They brought their Pokémon to the nurse at the Pokémon Center, ensuring they received some professional care, healing the bruises and scrapes suffered during the week of training and the sparring matches with Randy -especially Skyclaw's hurt wing. After a few hours in the recovery room, she could fly again.

With their Pokémon back to proper health, Mark declared that it was time for them to get some rest. Their big day was almost upon them. With one day to spare, Mark and his Pokémon spent the day recuperating; he believed that they earned it. They had trained non-stop for days on end; they were stronger, but they were tired, and they needed rest.

Night passed quietly, with Mark hardly able to sleep a wink. But the day had now come.

Mark rose from bed, feeling invigorated. He summoned Vitesse from her ball, and went for a run with her at his side, sprinting through the streets of Celadon to get them warmed up. Their minds were in sync; Mark could sense Vitesse's thoughts, and she could feel his; they were awash with emotion that could only be brought by the challenge that awaited them. The thrill of the challenge that lay ahead filled their hearts; Mark knew he was ready to pit his strategies against Red's, Vitesse was anxious to face Red's Charizard; she had not seen him yet, but all her training over the last week only fueled her desire to face him in battle.

But there was one emotion they didn't share. Mark wondered if he was ready to face Red. He had barely even stood against Randy, who by his own admission had become stronger. Did this mean Mark and his Pokémon were also stronger for being able to stand against the trainer that previously beat them?

 _'_ _There's no turning back now,_ ' he thought. _'I_ am _ready, and today I prove it to myself too. I was once the Hoenn Champion; I may not be that anymore officially, but neither is Red. We will face each other as equals in status, but our victory will be determined by_ our _actions.'_

When Mark met Randy back at the Pokémon Center, they were ready to head to the Pokémon League to meet Red. Skyclaw was their transportation to get to the Indigo Plateau, and when both were securely in place on her back, she took flight. Mark was riding behind Randy, holding his shoulders for balance, as Skyclaw ascended, grunting with effort at flying with the added weight of a second person. Once she was at ample height, she managed to carry them without much trouble.

Mark decided at that moment that if he was going to start catching new Pokémon there were some he'd have to keep for travelling, and another team for battle purposes. _'Actually... that betters my options if any of the trainers I face specialize in a certain typing; if I have more than one Pokémon of each type then I have a backup if the first one fails.'_

The two didn't speak much as they flew; the rushing wind obscured their voices to the point they could scarcely hear each other. But, the flight was thankfully short as the Indigo Plateau was soon in sight, where Mark's final battle in the Kanto Region would take place. He wished he'd had more time to prepare for the battle that awaited him, but it wasn't right to make Red wait on his behalf; he had his _own_ goals to pursue as well.

As they approached the plateau, Mark reminisced on his battles with Lance and Blue, thinking back to the top two contenders of the Kanto Region. When he first met Blue, the Viridian Gym Leader had seemed rather disinterested with his current role in life, but that had not stopped him from fighting with all he had against Mark, and were it not for some sneaky maneuvering on his part and Palm Tree's power boost that allowed him to overcome Blastoise.

As for Lance, he proved to be just as challenging; though his specialization in Dragon-types was a weakness in and of itself, the diversity of his choices and their various strengths made up for it. But the battle with Hydreigon had been _extremely_ close; Mark had expected Lance to have one, but the Pokémon that he intended to keep for battling it had been taken out too early in the battle. He could not let that happen again; he had to stop being reckless.

 _'Things_ will _be different this time,_ ' he said. _'No more foul-ups. Especially not against Red._ '

"Hang on, Mark; we're coming in for a landing!" Randy called at the top of his lungs to make sure Mark could hear as Skyclaw eased into a slow dive, descending towards the Indigo Plateau.

Mark clutched Randy's shoulders to keep himself steady as the wind rushed around him; he wasn't used to being the passenger on such a flight, and didn't feel quite as confident as he would if he were riding on Palm Tree's back. Not because he doubted Skyclaw, but he just trusted the Tropius more.

Much to their surprise, they saw someone was waiting for them on the Plateau, but it wasn't who they thought it'd be. Standing at the top of the stairs leading up to the Pokémon League building was Lance, alongside his Dragonite, who watched the two as they approached the plateau. When Skyclaw slowed her flight in preparation to land, the two began to descend the stairs to greet them, though the Dragon Master seemed clueless as to why they were back.

"Hello, Lance!" Mark called.

"Good morning, Mark! What brings you back here to the League?" Lance asked as he stepped within earshot.

"Well, you remember I was going to battle Red after my match with you?" Mark asked, earning a nod of confirmation from Lance. "We decided to have it up here on the Plateau."

"Did you? Interesting," Lance returned. "Well, this presents an opportunity for me then; I will get to see the battle for myself."

"If Red doesn't mind, I see no reason not to have a few spectators," agreed Mark, nodding to him. "Brock's probably going to be here too and I know Randy's staying for it."

"Damn right! I'm recording it!" Randy chimed in.

Mark looked back at Randy briefly before turning back to Lance again. "So, yeah; I see no issues with having you stay to watch, especially since we're on League property anyway."

"Do you want to have the battle inside in the Champion's Room?" Lance offered.

"Thanks, but I don't think so," replied Mark. "I have a hunch this is going to be one battle that _should_ stay outdoors.

"Perhaps you're right," Lance returned in acknowledgement. "With our battle, still fresh in my mind, I suspect one between yourself and Red will be no less intense."

"I'm counting on it," Mark replied, smiling broadly.

Lance eyed him with mild curiosity, as though seeing something in him that he hadn't seen when they last met. "There is a fire burning within you that I did not see in our battle," he said.

"Beg your pardon?" Mark asked, quizzically.

"When I saw you before I saw a light that had dimmed; a fire that had lost its fuel source and was slowly dying," Lance went on. "But now I see a blaze has arisen from those embers I saw before. To put it another way, you're more confident and determined now; more motivated; I can hear it in your voice and see it in your eyes." He tilted his head slightly. "What happened after we parted ways, that you would change so much after our battle? Surely not even I could leave such an impression on you."

Mark considered Lance's question, amused by how Lance was basically saying the same thing his mother had to him the night before he left Celadon. It muddled the trainer somewhat knowing his mood was so readable, but the answer to Lance's question -and that of Diana's observation- was obvious; only one thing of merit had happened following Mark's last visit to the Indigo Plateau, when he and Randy had left for training and stopped only to take a trip to Celadon City. "Something did," he said in confirmation to the dragon master. "I met Red, in person."

"Go on," Lance urged, curious to hear more.

Mark recalled his experiences at the Celadon City convention, starting from Brock's presentation, the moment where he and Red had looked at each other, and their later discussions when they met each other at the café. "I think," Mark concluded. "It was my talking with Red that reignited my 'inner fire' as you and my mother are calling it. And I think that is why I am so eager for this battle; I think Red did all of that for me. He reminded me what really makes a good Pokémon trainer, and now, I want to experience firsthand what makes him an _amazing_ trainer."

Lance's lips widened into a gentle smile. "I am pleased to hear your passion has reawakened," he said. "This is sure to be one of the greatest battles I have ever witnessed."

"Anything you can tell me about Red?" Mark asked. "I tried doing some study on him but he's so off-the-grid there's not a lot to find about him."

"I'm afraid anything I could tell you now would be of little help," replied Lance. "Red has been all over the world; his experience outweighs my own, and it is doubtful he still battles the same way as he did when he faced me all those years ago."

"I guess I have no choice but to wing it then," Mark stated.

"Indeed," Lance replied, and then elevated his gaze to peer over Mark's shoulder. "And it appears the time is upon you."

Mark stepped back on his heel and turned to see where Lance was looking, his gaze falling upon the tunnel entrance to Victory Road, where three individuals could be seen stepping out of the gloom of the tunnel entrance. The first to appear was none other than Red, accompanied by of course Brock and, most unexpectedly, Blue. What was he doing there, Mark wondered? Another spectator for the battle to come?

While Randy climbed up the stairwell to the upper half of the plateau from where he would have an elevated view of the battlefield, Mark crossed the lower field to meet Red and his two companions, waving to them as he approached. Brock was the first to greet him as they neared. "Mark! Good morning!" He called.

"You too, Brock," he called back, shaking hands with the Pewter Gym Leader as they stepped into arm's reach of each other. He then shifted his attention to Blue, and said, "I didn't know you were going to be here, Blue."

"I could hardly miss a battle like this," he returned with that signature smirk of his. "Especially not after _you_ already beat me, so I want to make darn sure Red doesn't blow it."

Red shot Blue an incredulous look, before shifting his gaze back to Mark. "So, are you ready for this?" He asked in a low tone.

"Only one way to find out, isn't there?" Mark asked.

Red narrowed his eyes slightly. "You seem a lot more certain of yourself than when I saw you last week," he commented.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Yeah, been hearing that a lot this week, too," he returned, casting a glance back in Lance's direction. "But there's no doubt in my mind, Red; I _am_ ready to battle you, and so are my Pokémon."

Red smiled broadly at Mark, raising a hand to his cap and tilting it back to lift the shadow from his eyes. "Then there's no reason to wait any longer, is there?" He asked.

"No… there isn't," Mark returned, his gaze locking with Red's as he felt a searing flame welling up within him, igniting his heart from the inside out and overwhelming him with feelings of anticipation. The moment he had been waiting for was upon him.

Mark and Red moved to either end of the plateau grounds, keeping a safe distance from the cliff overlooking the forest below, while their spectators moved up to the top of their stairs where they seated themselves, ideally positioned to observe the battle from afar. Randy had already set his camcorder upon a tripod; he could not have asked for a better elevation to observe the battle from, and tapped his fingers impatiently as he waited for them to start.

Brock's voice snapped Randy back to reality. "You know, Randy, I've seen guitar strings that were less tense than you," he commented, arching an eyebrow at him. "I bet if I plucked you, you'd twang."

"Hi-larious, Brock," Randy retorted. "Like you're not excited to be here to see this too."

"I never said I wasn't," Brock returned. "But I'd save the excitement for when it starts, wouldn't you say?"

"Eh, I'm pretty sure it'll be short," Blue scoffed, earning a quizzical look from Brock and Randy.

"What makes you say that?" Lance asked, turning to look at Blue as well.

"Mark _barely_ managed even to beat me, and I haven't won a battle against Red since our match here at the League," Blue returned. "If he's coming at Red with the same strength he showed me back in Viridian, I'm afraid he's going to get taken to the curb and stomped flat."

"I think you underestimate him," Brock stated.

"Yeah? Why?" Blue asked, showing Brock a questioning look that he doubted Brock's words.

"I may not know Mark," began Brock. "But when you've been a Gym Leader as long as I have, you can just sense when a trainer has great potential; I can feel that in Mark. And I think he'll show it to all of us here."

"Are you saying you actually think Mark is going to win?" Blue asked.

"That is up to him, and to Red," replied Brock. "All I'm saying is don't expect this battle to be as quick and obvious as you seem to think it will."

"I agree with Brock," Lance added. "When I battled Mark here last week, I too could see a fire burning in him; it had gone dark with time, but throughout our match I could see it intensifying, reignited by his passion for battle strategy as he adapted to my tactics and eventually defeat my most powerful dragons, without even using all of his Pokémon I might add." He smiled with confidence. "I believe Mark is rediscovering the strength that made him a Champion of the Hoenn Region."

The expression on Lance's face was like that of a hungry predator about to engorge itself on its catch of the day. "And I for one hope that we will see that strength in full bloom on this day; that Mark will show us the passionate inferno that he embodies."

Blue scratched the back of his head as he eyed Lance incredulously. "If I had any idea what the heck you were even trying to say, Lance, I think I'd _still_ be lost; you make it sound so dramatic but I just don't see what you do."

"Then let's just watch," Brock stated. "They're about to begin."

With a nod to Vitesse, Mark reached into his vest, fingering the holster containing his Poké Balls as he contemplated his lead Pokémon for the first round. He wanted to let Red choose first, but traditional procedure dictated that the challenger chose first, and Mark was the challenger. He couldn't be sure of what Red would send out first.

' _Best to open with a strong defense then,'_ He decided, fingers closing around Tankers Poké Ball, lifting it from the holster and expanding it in his hand. He wound his arm back and threw the ball forward, calling out the name of the Steelix.

Tanker emerged from the ball, rising on his tail and growling deeply, ready to battle. His metal body glinted in the sunlight, bathing him in an ominous shadow. Red was undeterred though, selecting his first Pokémon within only a second, calling out "Lapras!" as the ball left his hand.

From the Poké Ball, a dinosaur-like Pokémon emerged. It was big, though not nearly as big as Tanker, with a body of smooth, blue skin, and elongated neck and a shell on its back. It had no legs; just four flippers, a cream-yellow underbelly and neck, and a short, blunt horn growing from its forehead between two curled ears. Its large black eyes showed a gentle creature within, but Mark knew Red would not pick such a Pokémon if it was not capable of battle.

Up at the top of the stairs, Lance eyed the two first choices with intrigue. "Well this is interesting," said Lance.

"What is?" Blue asked.

"Mark has chosen his Steelix, which is a Steel and Ground-type," he began. "Lapras is a Water and Ice-type; they perfectly counter each other."

"Yeah, but Red has made a big error," Randy chimed in. "Lapras is practically immobile on land; it's an aquatic Pokémon through and through. Tanker has the mobility advantage, and he hits like a wrecking ball."

Blue scoffed. "If you actually believe Red would make such a rookie mistake without a plan, you don't know what you're talking about."

Back in the battle, Red was the first to make a move. "Lapras, Hydro Pump!"

Lapras reared back its head after receiving the command, inhaling sharply. But Mark was quicker. "Roll left!"

As Lapras spewed the high-powered torrent of water, Tanker hurtled himself to the left, using the mass of his own head to throw his body out of the attacks trajectory, catching only a small amount of water on the end of his tail. He then repeated this dodge as Lapras tried again, this time going right per Mark's instructions. Each time Tanker performed this, he was brought closer to Lapras; Red apparently noticed this and ordered Lapras to fire a sweeping shot of Hydro Pump, hoping to catch Tanker when he tried to tumble again.

But Mark had expected such, and called out hurriedly, "fall back!" And so, Tanker hurled himself backwards, once more being splashed by the water but otherwise taking no damage. "Now, Dig!"

Tanker plunged headfirst into the ground, vanishing beneath the soil before Lapras could catch its breath enough to attack again. Within seconds, Tanker exploded out of the ground behind Lapras, roaring as he emerged.

"Surf away!" Red called before Tanker was fully out of the ground.

Lapras reacted quickly, exhaling water at the ground that quickly accumulated enough to form a miniature wave that carried it away before Tanker could lunge. He struck the ground where Lapras had been only a second before, missing his target.

"Circle around and attack!" Red called.

Still riding upon the miniature tsunami, the Pokémon steered itself and the wave around to rush at Tanker. The wave seemed to accumulate more water as it moved, fed and controlled by Lapras who added more as they turned.

"Dig again, quick!" Mark called.

Once more Tanker plunged into the ground, burrowing under the approaching wave. But of course, some of the water chased him into his tunnel, drenching the Steelix and forcing him to emerge from below, shaking mud from himself.

"One more time; get him!" Red called.

Tanker turned to see Lapras already wheeling about to attack again, the wave it rode upon having become much larger and wider now. Mark thought quickly, knowing Tanker wouldn't be able to dodge a wave of that size. He suddenly had an idea, and called out his instructions.

"Use Rock Tomb right in front of you, largest stones you can muster!"

Tanker did so, conjuring blue glowing stones from mid air and dropping them to spear into the ground in a line, forming a wide, crude wall before him. Lapras could not stop itself, both it and its conjured wave striking the wall of stones like a tidal wave would the face of a cliff. The impact stunned Lapras and dispersed the wave it had created, leaving it to fall away from the wall with a long, pained moan.

Mark waited to see if Lapras would try to move again before issuing and further orders, not wanting to strike it while it was down. It recovered from the stun, but Mark was not going to let it attack again. "Iron Head!"

Tanker lunged forward, smashing through the wall of boulders he had previously created before slamming head first into Lapras, knocking the Pokémon onto its back and sending it sliding across the now wet ground. It was at that moment Red decided that Lapras had had enough, and brandished its Poké Ball to recall it, thus giving the round to Tanker. When Lapras dematerialized into the ball, he replaced it back on his belt.

"Impressive," Brock commented. "Using Rock Tomb to stop the wave and set Lapras up for a counter-attack; I had better take note of that for _my_ next challenger that brings a Water-type."

"I thought Red had that one for sure," Blue commented with a grimace. "I beat that Steelix no sweat before."

"With a one-hit knockout attack," Randy reminded, who was watching a quick replay of the video of Tanker smashing through the rocks and snickered as a thought crossed his mind. "I should totally make a thumbnail of this," he muttered.

With that, Red selected his next Pokémon. "Venusaur, you're up!" He called as he hurled the ball forward.

From the ball emerged a squat quadrupedal Pokémon with bumpy blue-green skin. The Pokémon had three toed feet at the end of short, stumpy legs, two round red eyes peering out from a rather flat face, with two pointed ears on either side of its head. On its back sprouted a massive pink flower with white spots, and a stem similar in texture to a palm tree, with matching leaves growing out to drape over the rest of Venusaur's back.

"A Venusaur eh?" Mark asked with intrigue. "My first time seeing one, let alone battling one."

"I hope I don't disappoint, then," Red returned. "You staying with your Steelix then?"

Mark hummed as he pondered that very question himself. Steelix wasn't weak to Grass-type Pokémon thanks to his Steel-type, but Venusaur looked quite sturdy and Tanker had already taken some damage against Lapras. Rather than press his luck, it would be better if he switched Tanker out for now and saved him for another battle.

And so, he did, drawing Tanker's Poké Ball and calling him back. "Good job, big fella," he said to the ball before returning it to the inside flap of his vest. "You won us the lead. Now let's keep it."

He looked back at Vitesse briefly before he made his next choice, picking Saber's Poké Ball; he knew how much the Scyther wanted to battle and Mark was more than happy to oblige. Venusaur was sturdy and probably quite strong but with speed and strategy, Mark was certain he could wear it down.

"Saber, you're on!" Mark called as he threw the ball. Saber barely let it fly three feet from Mark's hand before the ball popped open to release him, and he materialized where Tanker had been only a moment ago, appearing with his blades crossed over his chest as he was revealed. He unfurled his arms, eliciting a shrill cry before widening his stance as he faced Venusaur.

Saber was also sporting a new accessory; he was wearing the muscle band Mark had bought for him, but it was now decorated with the two spent Swift Wings he had been carrying since Mark had captured him. When Mark had presented Saber with the gift, the Scyther refused to be separated from the Swift Wings left by his master, and so Mark compromised with him; using the sewing kit he brought with him for mending clothes, he sewed the Wings to the muscle band, adding them as decoration. This pleased Saber, and now he was ready to fight.

Blue was surprised to see the Scyther. "When did he get that? I thought he only had six Pokémon altogether?"

"He took your advice," replied Randy. "He captured that Scyther just before his battle with Lance."

"I see Mark has already bonded quite well to him," Lance commented. "Scyther looks quite eager to show his strength."

"Mark seems to have that effect. And he's called Saber now, by the way."

"Venusaur, Petal Blizzard!" Red commanded, making the first attack.

Venusaur shook himself violently, scattering thousands of glowing flower petals from his body, filling the air around him until he was wrapped in a cloud of flitting petals, and it was getting larger by the second.

It quickly dawned on Mark what Red was up to. ' _Red knows Scyther is much faster than Venusaur, so he's using an attack even a speedy Pokémon can't easily avoid. And even though Scyther is resistant to Grass-type moves, they're naturally frail. He intends to power through this battle.'_

Already Mark was working out his counter plan, but he needed to create an opening first and probe Venusaur for weaknesses. "Saber, Double Team!"

Saber crossed his arms over his chest, his body flashing briefly as he began to dash to the side, leaving a trail of illusory duplicates of himself in his wake, carrying on until there were at least twenty or so of them. In response, Venusaur unleashed the Petal Blizzard, sending the attack scattering forth to sweep over them.

"Fly straight up!" Mark shouted hurriedly.

Saber compliantly took flight along with his many copies; several were still caught in the attack, fading from existence but many more remained, flying over the storm of petals which now dispersed after their use.

"Again, Petal Blizzard!" Red called out to Venusaur.

With another shake of his body, Venusaur generated even more petals to attack with, conjuring a veil of them around himself as though to prevent Saber from moving in to attack. Mark took notice of this, and of how the petals maneuvered around Venusaur as though to shield it.

' _With his bulky form and stumpy legs, it stands to reason Venusaur doesn't do well against speedy opponents on its own. But Red is no fool; I bet my keystone he has all kinds of backup plans ready in case someone gets through that Petal Blizzard defense.'_ He stifled the smile that tried to creep onto his face. ' _But I've got just the thing for that.'_

"Now attack!" Red called, ordering Venusaur to unleash the Petal Blizzard.

"Evasive action!" Mark called out to Saber, only to find himself rather surprised by what he had just said. ' _What am I, Air Force command?'_ He wondered.

But Saber understood the order just the same. He and his many copies scattered all about as the whirling vortex of petals expanded rapidly to blanket the entire field in swarming projectiles. Mark and Red both watched as the speedy Scyther and his clones zoomed about, displaying marvelous agility as they struggled to avoid the attack. Mark flinched every time one of the copies was erased, concerned that sooner or later the real Saber would be hit.

But as the number of clones dwindled, Saber somehow managed to stay out of danger, avoiding the Petal storm until it finally subsided, leaving only two clones and the original left.

Mark acted swiftly, seizing the precious second they had before Venusaur would attack again. "Now, Fury Cutter!"

The real Saber rushed forward, charging at Venusaur and successfully landing a strike across its face, making Venusaur growl in pain and pull back his head. But Red too was quick to act, barking out his next order to Venusaur.

"Protect!"

Venusaur faced forward again, letting out a low growl as a blue shield appeared in front of him. Saber was already during attacking again, his arm striking the energy wall and stopping him in his tracks.

"Now, Stun Spore!"

Venusaur dug his feet in and shook himself as the stem of his flower began to bulge. Mark ordered Saber to pull back, and just in the nick of time as the flower erupted with bright yellow pollen that showered the battlefield, blanketing it in the paralysis inducing toxins. Saber was safely out of reach thanks to Mara's quick action, but the last two of his copies were dispersed by them, exposing the real Saber completely.

' _I knew Red would have some sort of backup plan,'_ He thought, hating it when he was right.

Now Saber had no way of attacking until the cloud lifted, but Red was not going to wait to give him that chance; he was already back on the offensive. "Seed Bomb!" And with that, dozens of large seeds were launched from the open flower on Venusaur's back. Mark ordered Saber back on the evasive, the Scyther dashing away as the first seed struck the ground and violently burst, sending an explosive wave and shards of the broken vessel scattering about.

One after another, the seeds fell in a deadly bombardment. Saber raced to and fro, trying to avoid taking a hit with his wings beating fervently to keep up his speed, but all the dodging was quickly tiring him out, and the Scyther reacted poorly after a minute into the bombing, until one struck the ground right in front of him and he received the full force of the blast, knocking him back.

"Saber!" Mark called out with concern

"Now, Vine Whip!"

From beneath the palm leaves growing over Venusaur's back, several vines with bulbous tips extended forth. Saber had only just managed to right himself before the attack came, his legs snared by the vines and yanked off his feet, falling onto his front. With that, he felt two more strike his back, making him cry, before he was yanked from the ground, swung around and then hurtled back into the soil brutally.

Randy cringed at the sight. _"Oh,_ man that's rough!" He exclaimed.

Saber was lifted back up to be swung again, but he would not have it; mustering all his strength, he chopped at the vines holding his legs and taking wing once more when Venusaur lost his hold on him. "Nice work, Saber! You okay?" Mark called, receiving a call of acknowledgement in return. "Alright; move in with a Wing Attack!" The Stun Spore had settled now; Mark had to seize this opportunity before it slipped away.

Saber charged forth, making a beeline straight for Venusaur. Red called out for another Protect, and as before, Venusaur erected the protective shield. But Mark was ready this time. "Feint!" He bellowed.

Saber went for Venusaur as if to strike him directly; Venusaur recoiled instinctively, but then Saber vanished in the blink of an eye. Venusaur turned to look for him, but then roared with pain as he felt a biting pain at his leg. Saber had dashed behind him and had chopped his hamstring, opening a painful laceration and making the Venusaur collapse under his own weight before he could adjust to his leg giving out.

"Now, Double Hit!" Mark called.

Saber dashed back around to Venusaur's front just as the Protect faded, and the large Pokemon was subjected to two painful strikes across his face, leaving an 'X' mark imbedded in his forehead where Saber struck him, until Mark gave his final command. "Now, Wing Attack!" Saber jumped back from Venusaur, taking flight once more and then sweeping across Venusaur's face, striking him with his glowing left wing, causing him to recoil again.

"Now, use…!" Mark began, but Red cut him off.

"Stun Spore again!"

This time, Saber was too close; pollen exploded from Venusaur's flower, showering the Scyther with toxins that he unfortunately breathed in, and introduced his body to the toxin. The Paralysis set in instantly; Saber's body became stiff, and sent jolts of pain shooting through him when he tried to move. He was helpless.

"Now, Double-Edge!"

Venusaur charged, bounding towards Saber with thunderous steps marking his every step as he bulled himself directly into the Scyther and slammed into him with all of his weight, knocking Saber off his feet and sending him skidding across the ground, where with a final groan he grew still. But, much to the surprise of Mark _and_ Red, Venusaur suddenly became rather shaky, and then collapsed to the ground with a mild tremor marking his drop, giving in to the injuries inflicted by Saber and the recoil he suffered from using Double Edge.

Neither Pokémon stood back up.

"A double knockout," commented Brock.

"Man, and Saber was doing so well too," Randy added, sadly.

Mark and Red both recalled their Pokémon, returning them to their Poké Balls where they could recuperate comfortably. After placing the shrunken Poké Balls back in their holsters, they faced one another, a short silence hanging over them for a moment. But Mark was certain he saw Red smiling, and looked at him oddly.

"What're you smiling at?" He asked.

"So far this is proving to be a really good battle," replied Red. "It's not often I get to feel so excited as I do now. The last one to make me feel so alive was the Unova Champion, and before them, the Johto Champion, both very far apart."

"The battle has hardly started yet; we've only used two Pokémon each," Mark pointed out.

"That may be, but trust me on this - and I say this at the risk of sounding pompous," began Red. "When you get to the level I've reached, a challenging opponent is a rare treat."

Mark chuckled at that, feeling a sympathetic chord stricken by Red's words, remembering that he had felt the same way up until he battled Randy. "I think I know what you mean," he said.

"Shall we continue, then?" Red asked, having already chosen his next Poké Ball.

Mark nodded to him. "Right," he returned.

Red cast Mark a warning look. "I advise you don't underestimate the Pokémon contained in this ball," he said before he cast it forward, and it opened to release the inhabitant within.

From the Poké Ball emerged a small, yellow coloured Pokémon with black tipped ears, round black eyes and brown stripes on its back. It had a jagged tail shaped like a lightning bolt, short arms ending in five little claws and short legs with long feet. Around his neck, he wore a collar with a shiny, round yellow stone on the front

"A… Pikachu?" Mark asked with curiosity. "Why that and not a Raichu?"

"I actually do have a Raichu too," Red clarified, laughing lightly as Pikachu ran back to him, jumping on his shoulder and nuzzling his cheek with its own. "But this Pikachu is a special friend of mine; he's been with me on a lot of adventures and pulled me out of tight spots. I just didn't want to evolve him."

He tickled Pikachu under its chin. "Don't under sell him just for not being evolved; he's one of my most dependable partners. Nowadays I take him with me everywhere."

Mark hummed slightly, and then, "I actually have a Pokémon like that," he said. "Not a Pikachu mind you but not fully evolved either." He reached into his vest, fingers clenching Coal's Poké Ball. "And this one is going to seem quite familiar to you, Red."

Red tilted his head curiously as he watched Mark draw back his arm and toss the Poké Ball out to the battlefield, releasing the Charmeleon contained inside. Coal released a ferocious little growl as he was released, landing on all fours until he reared up on his hind legs, scaly lips widening in a grin.

Red was clearly surprised by the sight of the Charmeleon, lifting his gaze and staring as if his mind were reliving an old memory. Meanwhile, at the upper level, the other trainers watching the match looked down with intrigue at Mark's choice.

"That's the Charmeleon that Mark used to blindside my Alakazam along with that Mightyena!" Blue commented bitterly.

"That is not all it did," Lance added. "That little Charmeleon defeated my Haxorus all on its own."

"Your _Haxorus?"_ Exclaimed Blue and Brock in disbelief.

"So, Mark is busting out the little devil eh?" Randy thought aloud.

"Randy," Brock began. "Where did Mark get that Charmeleon from? They aren't found in Hoenn."

"Yes; I am curious to that as well," added Lance. "He said he'd never been to Kanto before."

"Well the short version is that Mark adopted Coal," explained Randy. "Apparently, some trainer left his Charizard at the daycare near Mauville and never came back for it, a female one obviously. Turns out she was in season, and I guess found a handsome male there. The trainer who owned the male wasn't pleased about it, and refused to accept the egg that the Charizard laid from the union. So, Mark, who happened to be passing by, took it instead."

"So, _that_ is how he obtained it," said Lance. "And it also explains how Coal knew Dragon Pulse in my battle with Mark; the Charizard line only learns that move through breeding, so Coal's father must have been a Dragon-type."

"What about the Charizard; what happened to her?" Brock asked.

"Still there, according to Mark. She kind of protects the place, and the old couple grew fond of her so they kept her."

"At least she has a home, then," said Brock.

"I'd sure love to find the trainer who ditched her there," Blue stated. "I'd show him what for."

 _'_ _Well, he's not a total prick after all'_ thought Randy, feeling moved by Blue showing he had a sensitive side.

Red eventually stopped staring at Coal as a smile crossed his features; a fond, reminiscent smile of a past time. "Well, _that_ really takes me back," he said, adjusting his hat and lowering his gaze slightly. "My earlier adventures with my Charizard, before and after he evolved. Those were good times…"

After a few melancholic moments, Red elevated his head again. "I have to thank you, Mark," he said.

Of course, Mark was confused. "Uh… you're welcome I guess, though I'm not exactly sure what it is I did?"

"Well, spurring some fond memories for one," explained Red. "This battle for another, as I mentioned earlier. But most of all, you helped remind me that one of the best things about Pokémon," he paused to turn to his Pikachu, petting it on the head and receiving a grateful squeak in return. "Is in raising them, watching them grow and growing with them too. After all my time spent traveling and searching, it seems I have forgotten something about myself too."

Mark turned his head curiously. "Searching for what?" He asked.

Red chuckled, adjusting his hat probably for the third time since the battle had started, and replied, "story for later. I'm anxious to continue this battle now." At that, Pikachu sprang from his shoulder, dropping back on all fours with jolts of electricity sparking from the red spots on its face.

"Alright then," said Mark. "Let's do this, Coal!"

The Charmeleon growled in return, snorting a puff of smoke and baring his teeth. "Show him your Flame Burst!"

Coal sucked in a deep breath before he spat a large fireball from his mouth, sending it arcing towards Pikachu.

"Agility!" Red called, sending Pikachu off in a dash at blinding speed, avoiding not only the fireball, but also the following shower of embers that erupted when it struck, clearing the attack completely unscathed.

" _Damn!_ That is one fast little mouse!" Mark exclaimed.

"I'm just getting started!" Red declared. "Pikachu, Quick Attack!"

At his command, Pikachu was once again off like a shot, approaching Coal in a wide berth, flanking and slamming into the Charmeleon before Mark had the chance to warn him of the attack, stumbling Coal as Pikachu slammed into his ribs from the side.

Coal was quick, but Pikachu was blindingly fast, Mark realized. It was time for a little turnabout. "Smokescreen!" He called.

Coal belched a cloud of smoke as Pikachu circled around to attack him again, this time with a Thunderbolt attack at Red's command. But by the time he did so, Coal was already enshrouded in the smokescreen, and no pained cry was heard from the Charmeleon; the bolt had missed.

"Pikachu, keep your ears open! He could come from anywhere!" Red warned.

Pikachu kept his ears raised as his beady black eyes stared into the dark smoke, watching intently for any flicker of movement that he could spot while simultaneously listening for Coal's footsteps or attack. The smoke continued the longer, likely fed by the Charmeleon within as he waited for his chance to strike…

Red's eyes shot to the left, spotting a glow in the smoke and recognizing it immediately. "On your left; incoming!"

"Scary Face!" Mark called through the smoke.

Coal's head was the first to emerge from the smoke. As with his battle with Randy's Zangoose aboard the _S.S Julia,_ he appeared wearing a nightmarish grin, bearing a mouthful of teeth, eyes wide and pupils dilated and cackling madly in Pikachu face. Pikachu reaction would be comical for all who bore witness, letting out a long, high-pitched shriek of terror as he stumbled away from the Charmeleon.

"Geez! I heard _scary_ face, not horror movie monster face!" Blue commented, evidently also taken aback by Coal's performance.

But Randy was only laughing. "And I thought Velox reacted badly when Mark used that combo on _him."_

"Now I know what you meant when you called Coal a little devil," Brock remarked.

Back in the battle, Mark, after hearing Pikachu scream in fright, took advantage of the hesitation that would surely follow, and gave Coal his next command. "Headbutt!"

Coal acted immediately, dropping his scary face and lunging at Pikachu, slamming head first into his exposed belly to wind the electric mouse and knock him back from the force of the blow. Pikachu was thrown onto the paved ground leading up to the stairs, sliding across the cobblestone a few meters. Coal ran fully out of the smoke cloud to pursue Pikachu, eager to continue the battle. When Mark saw Coal chasing Pikachu, his heart leapt.

"Coal, wait! Not yet!" Mark cried.

But Coal had been taken by the excitement of the battle - or perhaps by the idea of getting a fourth victory of the journey and did not heed his trainer. Pikachu was standing back up, once more with his cheeks sparking as he turned to face Coal.

"Thunder Wave!" Red ordered.

Pikachu tensed, cheeks sparking again before tiny jolts of electricity blasted forth and struck the Charmeleon. Coal reacted to the jolt, freezing mid step and posing awkwardly, eyes crossed and teeth clenched as he froze in place, his raised foot and tail twitching in a spastic manner as he tried to move, but his body would not respond.

"Now, Volt Tackle!" Red ordered.

"Coal, watch out!" Mark practically screamed, trying to spur Coal to get out of the way, but the Charmeleon was completely frozen in place and could not get out of the way as Pikachu charged. The yellow Pokémon let out a long, anguished cry as his body exploded with electricity, enveloping him and crackling wildly until he slammed into Coal with all of his might and blasted him with the full power of the electricity, sending Coal flying.

Vitesse acted instantaneously, leaping from where she stood and catching Coal in her arms, saving him from a painful landing. Mark was seeking the Charmeleon, unaware he'd already been caught until he saw Coal cradled in Vitesse arms. Leaving his spot, he ran over to the two, seeing Vitesse lower herself onto one knee and following suite to check on his Pokémon.

"Coal, are you okay?" He asked.

Coal was still recovering from the attack he had just taken, twitching and squirming in Vitesse arms until he was able to release a small growl of reply, only to twitch involuntarily in several limbs as he tried to move.

Mark gently patted Coal's head. "That's why you never rush in like that, dummy," he said, laughing lightly. "You got carried away didn't you, boy?"

Coal nodded weakly, but cringed again as his neck received a jolt of pain from the paralysis. Mark hastily retrieved his pack a Paralyze Heal, bringing it over to Coal. "This will fix you up, boy," he said as he applied the curative to Coal's chest.

He looked up at Vitesse, who nodded to him in reply. Mark retrieved Coal's Poké Ball from its holster and recalled the Charmeleon inside to let him recuperate, before he turned his attention back to the battle with Red, already picking his next Pokémon to finish the battle with Pikachu. "Finish this up, Siren!" He called, casting the Milotic's ball into the battle area, freeing her from its confines. The Milotic squealed with joy as she tasted fresh air again, her gaze falling upon Pikachu as she got her bearings.

"You're picking a Water Pokémon to battle an Electric-type?" Red asked, questioningly. "Why would you do that?"

"Battles aren't always decided by type," was all Mark gave as a reply.

"Suit yourself," returned Red. "Pikachu, use Agility to get in close!"

Once again, the mouse was off, speeding away faster than the very lightning he commanded and zigzag gingerly across the ground towards Siren, moving in elaborate patterns to throw off the Milotic. She watched with shock as Pikachu was, both figuratively and literally, running in circles around her. But Mark was quicker to lend support.

"Don't let him spook you; use Disarming Voice!" He called.

Siren complied, throwing back her head and emitting a loud, almost songs like cry that seemed to pulsating around her, vibrating the air with her voice. Pikachu stopped running as the pulse reached him, literally stumbled and slightly tossed by the attack only to land on his face comically.

"Use Aqua Rings while you have a moment!" Mark instructed her. She did so, coating her body in a glassy veil of water to treat any injuries she might suffer. "Good! Now, Water Pulse!"

Siren reared back her head, a sphere of water forming in front of her mouth. Red called out a warning to Pikachu, who had just managed to get back on all fours as Siren prepared to attack. As the Milotic made a striking motion with her body, lashing like a viper, she fired the sphere at Pikachu, who narrowly got clear of the impact zone, suffering only a few cold droplets that landed on his back.

"Thunderbolt!" Red ordered.

Pikachu faced Siren again, cheeks sparking fiercely before a bolt of electricity exploded from his body, and Siren was stricken by the bolt, letting of a pained yelp. She winced from the attack, but briskly shook it off before facing Pikachu again, her eyes narrowed in displeasure.

"What? How?" Red asked, shocked that Siren did not appear more injured.

"I can see you've raised your Pikachu well," Mark commented. "Swift and agile as he should be. However, no matter how strong you made him, Siren's defense is still stronger."

"We'll see about that!" Red retorted. "Thunder Wave, Pikachu!"

"Safeguard!" Mark ordered.

Pikachu discharged another bolt of electricity to shock Siren, but with a gleam in her eyes, an invisible barrier blocked the bolts, forming ripples in the very air itself as the bolt was dissipated harmlessly by the shield.

"Water Pulse!" Mark called.

With another striking motion, Siren launched another condensed sphere of water at Pikachu, who once more ducked out of the way just in time. "Pikachu, she's a distance fighter! Move in to battle at close range with Quick Attack!" Red instructed, having spotted Siren's weak point.

Pikachu adhered to his trainer's knowledge, making a mad dash towards Siren with blinding speed, but Mark was not willing to let that happen, ordering Siren to use Disarming Voice again, knocking Pikachu off-trajectory and forcing him back with another Water Pulse, which this time struck home and sent Pikachu flying several meters, where he landed on his back.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Red asked.

After a moment to get his bearing, Pikachu stood up again, but he was a little shaky from the hit, but other than that he seemed okay. "One last shot; Electro Ball!"

Pikachu jumped into the air as a sphere of condensed electricity formed on the end of his tail, broadening until it was larger than Pikachu himself, where he performed a front flip and hurled the ball at Siren. She wasn't fast enough to get out of the way, bracing herself and managing to stay quiet even as she was struck by the ball of lightning, until she let out a pained shriek; Electro Ball had proven stronger than Thunderbolt, and seemed to cause her significant harm, face contorted and eyes clenched with pain.

"Got her!" Red chimed, believing that Electro Ball might have finally tipped the scales. "Now, Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu charged forward, body exploding with electricity as before when he had used this attack against Coal, and with Red having figured out Sirens ineffectiveness at close range, it seemed Pikachu would take this battle as well.

But it was not the case.

"Recover!" Mark called.

Siren glowed as she released rejuvenating energy through herself, the burn marks on her tail from the Electro Ball vanishing from her flesh. With that, her eyes shot open, and, using her tail and head to brace herself, she lifted her body off the ground, and Pikachu charged through the opening she had left, running across the plateau until he managed to skid to a halt.

"Ole, senior," the Hoenn trainer snarked.

Red grit his teeth in annoyance. "Smartass," he retorted. "Pikachu, use Volt Tackle one more time!"

Pikachu started to run, but Mark beat him to it. "Hypnosis!"

Siren's eyes glowed as she turned to look at Pikachu, who caught her gaze as he attempted to charge. The hypnotic spell emitted from her gaze struck immediately, and Pikachu felt his mind swimming, eyelids becoming heavy and slowing him down until he veered off course, hobbling awkwardly in a half run, half stumble, until he eventually reached the Milotic. Siren watched him, blinking the glow from her eyes as it became clear Pikachu was already under the effects, and brought her fan-like tail around for him to land on as he finally collapsed.

"And he's out," Brock commented from where he sat.

"Like a light," Randy added.

Red walked over to Siren, who graciously picked up Pikachu with her tail to pass him to Red, who cradled the sleeping mouse in his arms after thanking her, letting her return to Mark's side where she lowered her head to receive a petting along the back of her neck.

"That a girl," he said, smiling at her. "You did great." He offered her a couple of Sitrus Berries, which she happily scooped up in her mouth and ate as Mark continued to pet and praise her.

"Mark," Red called as he returned Pikachu to his Poké Ball, replacing it on his belt as he spoke to the Hoenn trainer. "I have to know; how did Siren withstand that Electro Ball and recover so quickly? After taking Thunderbolt _and_ Electro Ball, she should have been too weakened; is her defense really that strong?"

"As much as I'd like to think so," Mark began, "looking back at when she was stricken by Electro Ball it was clear you overwhelmed her defense. However, that Aqua Ring she used before already undid the damage she had taken from Thunderbolt." He looked at Siren. "When you resorted to using Physical attacks, you had the right idea; up close she's not as effective. But that's exactly why I use moves like Disarming Voice and Safeguard -which, I confess I didn't make much use of until now.

"By using Safeguard, I can keep her safe from status condition moves like Thunder Wave, and use Disarming Voice to hound speedy, maneuverable opponents like your Pikachu, to make it extremely difficult for them to reach her," he turned back to Red. "If she can keep them at a distance, they will resort to their ranged special attacks, which is where her defense and healing abilities come in. Played right, she can outlast the enemy, let them wear themselves out and finish them off."

Red nodded in satisfaction. "Brilliant… her defense is almost perfect," he said. "But according to Blue you didn't show this kind of preparation."

Mark grimaced at that. "Well, I think I said this before, but I haven't been myself," he stated. "These past few days, I've spent a lot of time reflecting on my past battles, both recent and distant." His gaze lowered, still resting a hand on Siren as his mind drifted back to the recent battles, the many errors he made and how they had led up to this point, but most of all, how he was to blame for it.

"I grew complacent, and in allowing such I forgot how to read situations as they developed, letting myself get baited into traps," he said, seeing in his mind his battle with Lance, between Vitesse and Goodra, where he had allowed his trusted partner to take a Bide attack that had taken her out in one strike.

"I let my Pokémon get out of shape." He saw his battle with Marvin at Professor Sycamore's lab where Fang had nearly been defeated by the gangster's Galvantula- a Pokémon that should have been far weaker even with its type advantage. "But worst of all I forgot how to work in perfect sync with my Pokémon; to feel as they do, letting me share their thoughts as they share mine. In the six months, I spent in retirement, I lost the very things that made me a Champion in the first place."

He elevated his gaze, facing Red again. "But now, I stand here, facing you atop this plateau. I have learned from my mistakes, and now I remember who I really am -what kind of trainer I am. I became a champion through the strength of my Pokémon -strength I helped them reach, and I became a champion through my ability to adapt -something I gained from them."

The wind over the plateau was increasing, as though the very forces of nature themselves were reacting to Mark's strength and self realization. "And now that I have found myself again, the trainer who became Hoenn Champion now stands before you, as I stood before Steven Stone eighteen months ago."

A long silence fell over the battlefield. Randy, Lance, Brock and Blue all stared down the stairs to the two trainers as they stared each other down, Vitesse and Siren poised at Mark's sides as one waited for the other to speak. Mark felt a strange sensation wash over his body; he felt lighter, energized -more alert, as though he was awakening from a long slumber. He had finally acknowledged that he had been the cause of his own weakness, and now was ready to make amends for it.

Red was smiling again, once more adjusting his hat for the umpteenth time as he spoke to Mark. "I want you to promise me something," he said.

"What?" Mark asked curiously.

"Regardless of how this battle turns out -that even if I win here today, don't give up on your journey," Red requested. "Carry on to the other regions; battle the Champions, and prove your strength to them as you have to me. I think all of them could learn something from you -even relish a chance to battle a trainer like you. So however our contest ends, do this one favour for a fellow Ex-Champion and continue to follow this road beyond the league."

Mark felt a smile cross his own features as well, raising his head and standing tall and proud in the wake of Red's words. "I will," he returned with barely any hesitation. "I'll see my journey through, from here in Kanto all the way to the glittering cities of Kalos -I'll face the top trainers of this generation, for win or loss."

"Then let us finish this," stated Red, producing his fourth Poké Ball. "I have three Pokémon left, you have four. It's time that I even the scales!" He drew back his arm, posing like a baseball player before throwing the Poké Ball as hard as he could. "Go, Snorlax!"

From the ball, a familiar Pokémon emerged; the same Snorlax Mark had seen Red call upon for Brock's demonstration at the convention, appearing from the confines of the ball and stretching its arms as it yawned. When it lowered its arms, it stopped to scratch its belly, rumbling hungrily.

"So, bringing in the heavyweight, are you?" Mark asked, a suppressed excitement in his voice, ushering Siren back as he reached into his vest, pulling out another Poké Ball. "Fine; one heavyweight against another! Time for round two, Tanker!" Mark shouted as he threw the ball forward, releasing Tanker from the ball and letting the Steelix resume the battle where he left off, growling deeply as his red eyes fixed upon Snorlax, raising himself up on his tail to cast his shadow over the shorter -but by no means lighter Pokémon.

Randy was grinning widely as he watched the battle about to resume. "Mark's really getting fired up," he stated. "I don't think he was this worked up even when _I_ battled him!"

"Nor I," agreed Lance, sharing a grin as wide as Randy's as he leaned forward and rested his arms upon his knees. "I am actually a little envious of Red, now; seeing this spirit in Mark makes me wish I could have witnessed it during _our_ battle."

"Starting to second guess Red's victory here, Blue?" Brock asked, crossing his arms and looking at the Viridian Gym leader.

"Not a chance," retorted Blue, though his answer was ever so slightly delayed, and Brock did not miss this.

Red and Mark resumed their battle; Red issued the first command. "Snorlax, Brick Break!" And with that order, Snorlax charged at Tanker, drawing back its fist to deliver a mighty punch to the Steelix.

"Dig!" Mark called, sending Tanker burrowing underground as Snorlax approached; thankfully the plump Normal-type was not any faster than Tanker himself was.

"Brace yourself, Snorlax; it could come from anywhere!" Red called. "Feel the vibrations; use them to find that Steelix!"

Snorlax stood its ground, listening and watching as it waited for its opponent to reappear. He could feel Tanker moving about beneath the ground through the vibrations in the ground just as Red instructed, and shifted his feet warily. After a moment, he jerked and let out a grunt, as if in warning his trainer.

"Use Rollout!" Red called hurriedly.

Snorlax tucked his arms against his body and lurched forward, curling himself into a ball and quickly spinning into a roll. He avoided Tanker with less than a second to spare, the Steelix erupting from the ground directly under where he had been and unwittingly assisting Snorlax in his rolling as the shattered ground sent him tumbling away. He rolled for a fair distance before circling around and heading straight back toward Tanker, quickly picking up speed as he rolled.

"Iron Head!" Mark ordered.

Tanker drew back his head, waiting for the right moment to strike out as Snorlax approached, and then with a deep growl he swung his entire upper body towards the blubbering Blue Pokémon rushing towards him. He slammed into Snorlax's side, throwing his Rollout off course until he careened out of control and plunged directly into the nearby cliff face.

But to the surprise of Mark -and seemingly defiance of physics itself, Snorlax seemed to rebound right off the cliff face, collapsing several chunks of rock in the process, and went zooming back towards Tanker like a pinball after it was slapped by a paddle in the machine, and steered his course to head directly at Tanker at such an angle the iron snake was literally run over by Snorlax, letting out a distressed roar as his tail was crushed into the ground all the way to his head, which then followed, resulting in a plume of dust as Tanker's head hit the ground.

"How… what the hell did I just see?" Randy asked. "How did Snorlax do that?"

"Do what; run over a Steelix?" Blue asked.

"Bounce off of a cliff wall! What is he made of, rubber?" He turned his attention to his camcorder. "I need to play that back in slow motion."

"I'd hold off on that; the battle is not over yet," Lance suggested.

He was correct. Tanker was lifting himself back up again, shaking the dirt from his face and growling deeply. "You okay, Tanker?" Mark asked, receiving a rumble of confirmation from the Steelix. "Good; here he comes again!"

Snorlax was already racing back in Tanker's direction; Rollout was a Rock-type move and normally not effective against Steel-type Pokémon, but Snorlax's sheer mass made up for that, as shown beforehand. But this time Snorlax wasn't going to attack with Rollout again. At Red's command, he unfurled from his ball mode and jumped so suddenly that was sent hurtling straight towards Tanker as if fired from a cannon.

"Brick Break!" Red called.

With mass and momentum on his side, the punch delivered by Snorlax was like being hit by a missile without the explosion. Tanker had tried to move out of the way but Snorlax had just been too fast for him to avoid, and took the Fighting type move straight to the face. With a deafening roar of pain, Tanker was sent falling onto his back with enough force to shake the entire plateau, and Snorlax added to it when it landed on both feet behind the Steelix.

"Tanker! Can you get up?" Mark called out to his Steelix.

To his relief, Tanker indeed rolled back onto his front, raising himself up on his tail shakily; that last attack had hit him quite hard, even with his mighty defense. _'I have to end this fast or Tanker won't last much longer.'_

"Brick Break one more time!" Red called to Snorlax as he turned to face Tanker once more.

"Defense Curl!" Mark called as Snorlax broke into a run and charged at the Steelix, drawing back his fist for one more punch.

Tanker lowered his head a prepared himself for optimal incoming attack, bracing as Snorlax charged into range and delivered a mighty right hook punch to Tanker's head. The Steelix took it, growling with pain, but held firm despite it.

"Iron Head, now!" Mark commanded.

Tanker rumbled loudly as he drew back his head and then lunged at Snorlax, slamming into him with all of his might. Snorlax resisted, grabbing Tanker with his huge paws and digging his feet into the ground as Tanker tackled him, bringing the two into a contest of strength. One that Snorlax was losing; despite his attempts to dig in, Tanker was still pushing him back.

When Snorlax could hold no longer, Tanker sent him stumbling backward with one mighty push, and was about to lunge at him for one final attack when Red called out. "Jump as high as you can!"

Snorlax did, launching himself into the air above and sending Tanker face first into the dirt. The Steelix turned and looked up in time to see Snorlax overhead, Red calling out "Body Slam!" as his last attack a final attempt to finish off Tanker.

"Defense Curl!" Mark countered, prompting Tanker to curl up and braced himself as one thousand pounds of muscle and blubbering fell upon him.

Snorlax landed on Tanker's head, and thudded against the Steelix like a bug on a windshield. The Snorlax let out a deep grunt, and slowly rolled off of Tanker's face, and the Steelix delivered a final Iron Head to finish him off, sending Snorlax hurtling back towards Red and skidding across the ground, letting out one last groan as he lay gathering his breath.

The trainer spectators, as well as some others who had stepped out of the league to join them, drawn by the commotion, all stared bewildered by what had just happened. The new spectators included the shopkeepers, the nurses for the on site Pokémon center and even the Elite Four, all arriving in time to watch Tanker claim victory.

"Now the battle is three to two," stated Randy. "Red has his Charizard and something else we don't know yet."

"Might be his Aerodactyl," Brock suggested.

"Rest now, Snorlax," ordered Red as he recalled his Pokémon. Tanker rose triumphantly on his tail again, seemingly reinvigorated by his victory and awaiting Red's next choice. "So, it's come to this then," stated Red as he produced his fifth Poké Ball. "I have a feeling this is the one you've been waiting for, Mark."

The Hoenn trainer tilted his head curiously, until the meaning behind Red's words. "Wait, you mean you're picking…?"

"That's right," began Red as he drew back his arm, shifting his stance to a wide-legged pose, arm drawn back and eyes ablaze with excitement. "Go, _Charizard_!" He called at the top of his lungs, hurling the ball high into the air as he summoned his most powerful Pokémon yet.

The ball opened.

Fire exploded from within as a red scaled, reptilian form dropped out of midair, landing with a thunderous step on both legs, head lowered and wings crossed in front of it. The dragonic being uncrossed his wings, spreading them wide open and unleashing a deafening roar to the sky, filled with a primal fury as his voice shook the very air itself with the volume, announcing to the world that he was ready for battle.

Red's Charizard was _huge._ The average Charizard wasn't naturally large, but this one was as tall as Snorlax had been, sporting a body thick with well developed muscles and two huge wings to compensate for his undoubtedly great body mass. His scales were a hot, light red with a cream yellow undertone on the chest and belly and to the end of his tail. His wings matched this colour but had blue skin on the wings instead of yellow. His eyes were a sharp blue, lighter than his wings and glaring out from beneath a furrowed brow at Tanker. He also had two blunt horns growing out from the back of his head, and a bright, red-hot burning flame at the end of his tail.

' _I'm finally seeing him for the first time,"_ said Mark, feeling his breath stolen away by Charizard's sheer splendor. Mark could tell he was powerful just by the sight of him, and his eyes quickly found the neck accessory that housed a blue-tinted mega stone. Soon he would get to see _that_ in action too.

"Red's going with Charizard already?" Blue asked, surprised. "He usually saves him for last. Unless…" He trailed off.

"Unless what?" asked Randy, looking at Blue curiously.

But he didn't answer.

Tanker rumbled loudly, glaring at Charizard. Mark sensed the Steelix still wanted to battle but in his damaged condition, Mark feared that Tanker would stand no chance against Charizard. But fresh out of a Poké Ball, Charizard held the advantage either way. Even at full strength, Vitesse would need every edge she could possibly get.

 _'_ _I hate to do it, but the benefit outweighs the risk. Tanker wants to keep battling and if he can land even one hit, it could make all the difference.'_

"Alright, Tanker," began Mark. "Let's do this! Use Rock Tomb!"

Tanker reared back and roared as he conjured dozens of large stones from nothingness and then sent them to rain upon Charizard, falling towards him in such abundance it seemed impossible to avoid them all.

"Go!" Red shouted, prompting Charizard into action.

Charizard took flight within seconds of Red's command, flying up at the stones directly. Mark barely saw what happened through the shower of boulders, but his mouth still fell agape when he saw fragments of them scatter in all directions, and Charizard himself appeared above them, arching about and diving towards Tanker with a fierce growl to follow.

"Mega Punch!" Red ordered.

He was too fast for Tanker to avoid, so Mark did the only other thing he could think of. "Defense Curl!" Mark shouted hurriedly.

Tanker drew his head in, bracing himself as Charizard flew low, soaring across the ground in a beeline straight for him. Much to the shock of Mark and Tanker alike, when Charizard's short but powerful arm connected with the underside of Tanker's jaw, and following a deafening metallic impact the Steelix was sent hurtling backwards as though he had been shot by a cannon, releasing a roar of pain until he struck the ground like a falling tower, the impact stirring a cloud of dust that forced Mark to cover his eyes to protect them from debris.

"When it subsided, Mark saw his Steelix lying flat on his back across the ground, a visible dent in his jaw where Charizard had punched him, eyes shut and body motionless.

Tanker had been knocked out.

"Un-freaking-real!" Randy exclaimed. "How can something so big move so fast?! And a Normal-type Mega Punch, not even used _by_ a Normal-type, taking out _Tanker_ in just _one_ hit?! Even weakened he should have easily been able to take that, especially with his defense boosted!"

"I don't think you grasp just how strong Red's Charizard is," Blue stated firmly. "Of all the Pokémon, he has, except possibly one, his Charizard is without equal. Even without the power from that stone on his neck, Charizard is virtually unstoppable."

"Red has a strong spirit, and that strength is shared by Charizard," Lance added. "They are the perfect team. Red has raised Charizard to perfection, with all of his heart and soul, and the Pokémon you see before you is the result of that bond. That is what made Red a legend of the Kanto region."

Mark returned Tanker to his Poké Ball, looking at it briefly before he returned it to its holster, turning to looking at Vitesse. The Blaziken nodded back to her trainer, stepping up to stand before him, but once she passed him, her eyes were only on Charizard. Mark could feel her spirit, her anticipation rising as she looked upon what was sure to be the greatest battle she had ever faced.

"This is it, Vitesse!" Mark declared, elevating his arm to show his keystone. "Let's show him the power that made us Champions!" He tapped his keystone, drawing forth its light and letting it shine forth, reaching out like arms to Vitesse and pouring into her through her back.

Her body glowed like a star, bathing the Blaziken in light and obscuring her from view as she ascended beyond evolution into her Mega form, emerging from the light transformed and blazing with power, the ribbons of fire burning white hot before deepening back to orange and yellow.

"Oh hohoho!" Randy chortled. "Shit is about to get real, folks!"

"So that's a Mega Blaziken?" Brock asked, keeping a calm composure as he watched.

"Sure is, pal," replied Randy.

"I did not get to see Blaziken's mega evolution when I battled Mark," commented Lance. "His Steelix was quite impressive itself, but I sense his Blaziken is even stronger."

"You have _no_ idea," stated Randy.

Red watched with intrigue as Vitesse Mega Evolved to her most powerful form, grinning with excitement as he witnessed her at her ultimate. He studied her closely, seeing the new coloration, the reshaping of her crown to form an X instead of the downward V it was previously, but most of all the ribbons of fire that trailed from her arms, seeing them as a display of just how strong she was.

"It's been a long time since Charizard and I battled another Mega Evolved Pokémon," stated Red, reaching into his pocket and lifting out a keystone, holding it between his fingers before clenching it in his hand. Charizard glanced over his shoulder at his trainer, and it was then Mark could have sworn he saw Charizard smiling at Red. "This time we're going all out!"

He clenched his hand tightly around the keystone as light streamed out from between his fingers, striking Charizard on his back and engulfing him in the same glow that had previously emitted from Vitesse, as he began his own transformation, his body becoming larger and more muscular, his wings taking on a jagged appearance, spikes grew from the front and backs of his shoulders, and even his horns changed shape, their tips forming points and curving up slightly.

The light dissipated, and the terrifying and yet awe-inspiring mega evolved form of Charizard was revealed. Where one his scales were red, they had turned black, his undertones turning to a light blue along with the skin of his wings which were now sporting curved claws at the joints. When his eyes opened, they had turned to a deep, ruby red, and when he exhaled, blue flames exhumed from both sides of his mouth. The flame on the end of his tail had also turned blue, burning so intensely that the air above it shimmered from the heat.

With his mega evolution complete, Charizard stood tall on his hind legs, throwing back his head and roaring to the sky, the flames from the corners of his mouth intensifying in response to his roar -so much that it was a wonder it didn't burn his own face. When he ceased roaring, he lowered his head again, fixing his eyes upon Vitesse, and in that gaze, Mark could see that Charizard was fighting the urge to attack at that very moment -to begin the battle without awaiting his trainer's orders. He _wanted_ to fight; he looked at Vitesse and saw a worthy opponent for his newfound power; power he was eager to put to the test.

 _'_ _Now I know what Blue meant that day,'_ Mark thought, his mind drifting back to when Blue had described Mega Charizard. _'Like looking upon the very rage of dragons given physical form._ ' He hadn't even fought him yet, but he felt as though Mega Charizard was more powerful than any other Pokémon he'd ever laid eyes on in his life.

Mark felt his vest twitching, stealing his attention from the battle for a moment to open the flap, where Fang's Poké Ball suddenly popped open, and the Mightyena materialized at Mark's side. He saw the look on his face, and knew that Fang had likely been able to sense the sudden surges of power induced by the Mega Evolutions even from within his Poké Ball, and was eager to find out its cause.

With all of this in mind, Mark looked at Charizard again. _'I trained against Skyclaw to prepare myself to battle Charizard,'_ he thought. _'Suddenly, I feel like that may not have been enough.'_

But if that was the case… then why did he feel so excited? He should have been afraid of Charizard. Or at the very least, concerned for Vitesse and whether or not she could win this battle. But when he looked at her, he saw her trembling with exhilaration; she wanted this battle just as much as Charizard did. Her flames were burning bright, the muscles in her legs were tense, ready to break into a run and charge her opponent the moment Mark gave her the word.

There was only one thing to do, then.

"Let's finish this, Red!" Mark called. "The real battle starts now!"

Vitesse threw out her arms and elicited a screech to accompany her trainer's call, letting all those present see her courage and determination.

"Show us everything you've got, Mark!" Red called.

Charizard roared again, splaying out his wings and letting the flames burning from his mouth pour forth, showing how much he wanted to fight.

The two Pokémon, with leave given by their trainers, rushed each other, and the final clash was on…

I would like to thank everyone for their patience in waiting for this chapter. Things have been very slow going since my laptop privledges at work were revoked. Besides that I struggled a lot with this chapter; I just hope it was worth the wait.

Now, I recently received a PM from a reader asking if the Alolan Pokémon or anything in regards to the seventh generation would be appearing in this series. I had not initially planned to do that as when I started this story was when the 3rd Generation Remakes were newly introduced, hence why the story is largely centered around Mega Evolution. Ever since playing Pokémon Moon, I fully intend to introduce some features from the Seventh Generation when the opportunity presents itself.

How this affects the timeline, though, is slightly different. I've made some tweaks and I have this story set to take place just before the events of the Sun & Moon games, which have been stated to take place ten years after the events of the first generation games. This would put Red at about 20-21 years old. This means that, no, Mark will not be going to challenge the champion of the Alolan league, since it doesn't actually exist yet.

I'm halfway done the last chapter of this arc. Hopefully I'll get it done much faster than I did this one.


	14. Chapter 13 (Arc 1 Finale)

Mark's battle with Red was every bit the challenge he had expected it to be.

For what felt like only minutes but had in fact been over an hour, their Pokémon had clashed, battling tenaciously with the passion of their trainers spurring them on. Through quick thinking and adaption, along with his rediscovered confidence to keep his head where it needed to be, Mark had secured a small lead in the battle, still possessing four Pokémon while Red had been brought down to two.

But all of that changed when Charizard appeared. Red's most famous and long-term partner, and with Mega Evolution having raised it beyond its limits, quite possibly the most powerful Pokémon Mark had ever encountered in his three years as a Pokémon trainer. Stronger than Blue Oak's Blastoise. Stronger than Lance the Dragon Master's Hydreigon; even Randy's Mega Sceptile paled in comparison to what Mark faced now.

Everything from his battle with his mother, Diana, to his journey to Kanto on the S.S Julia, to his battles with Blue and Lance and his training in the woods. They had all been to prepare him for this moment.

He had never felt so alive.

Mark's journey to face the greatest trainers in the world had barely begun, and yet here now stood an opponent unlike any other. Truly, Red had shown Mark why he was the Kanto Region's greatest trainer. He was even more anxious to get reach the other regions to face their top trainers. But for the moment, his mind was only on his current objective. To win.

Vitesse and Charizard began their battle with light attacks; Vitesse with Dual Chop and Charizard with Wing Attack; Mark's choice of attack confirmed that Charizard had indeed lost his Flying subtype and become a Fire and Dragon-type Pokémon. This concerned Mark at first; it meant Vitesse's Fighting moves would be more effective but Thunderpunch would be weakened and her own Fire attacks would be next to useless. This left her options limited without a little power boost.

After a short skirmish between them, Vitesse managed to land a Low Sweep, kicking his legs out from under him before, at Mark's command, she jumped away, getting some distance. "Bulk Up, then Roost!" Mark directed.

Channeling her energy into her limbs caused Vitesse's muscles to swell as she increased her strength and durability, and she immediately followed it by channeling that same energy to the bruises already left by Charizard's attacks, soothing them and removing the discomfort they caused.  
But as Charizard got back to his feet, Red had decided to change his strategy; no doubt he realized that battling Vitesse on the ground was not putting the match in his favor, and that left only one course of action. "Charizard, get in the air!" Red called.

Charizard quickly complied, spreading his large black wings and flapping them strongly as he jumped off the ground to get airborne. Mark acted quickly, prompting Vitesse to attack. "Get him with Thunderpunch before he gets airborne!" He cried.

She charged at the Dragon, making a jump at him while ascended, fist drawn back to strike, but Red once more acted first. "Fire Blast!" And Vitesse suffered a direct hit from a star-shaped flame projectile that sent her hurtling back to the ground. She flipped around to land on her feet, but now Charizard was in the air, and the fight would be that much harder for her; she may have been bird-like in appearance but she was grounded.

But Mark wasn't worried yet. "Stay loose, girl," he began, and knew he had her ear when she tilted her head in his direction while keeping Charizard in her peripheral.  
He spoke quickly. "I've analyzed how he fights; he excels at physical combat, so sooner or later he's going to have to come back down if he wants to play to his strength. Focus on dodging his distance attacks for now while your speed amplifies, and when he descends, try to ground him the same way you did Dragonite."

She nodded to Mark, turning her gaze fully back to Charizard and watching him with intent as he flew in her direction. At Red's command, Charizard unleashed a Flamethrower attack, which forced Vitesse to run to the left to avoid it, but as per her trainer's directions she didn't try to counter attack as he had not flown low enough for her to jump at him before he would ascend again, and ascend he did, flying back up to a thirty-foot altitude and circling around to attack again.

Mark searched the field for anything his Blaziken could use to her advantage. His eyes fell upon the cliff wall of the mountainside of Mt. Silver, overlooking the Indigo Plateau. That cliff face sent a memory flashing through his mind; of when Snorlax amid using its Rollout attack, had sped at the cliff and then rebounded from it to catch Tanker off guard; it had been an effective use of the terrain, and it gave him an idea. "Vitesse, lead him towards the wall!" He called, pointing in the direction of the cliff face.

She turned, seeing what her trainer was pointing to, and acknowledged his order. She broke into a run, sprinting for all her worth at the wall in hot pursuit, breathing a stream of scorching flames in her wake. Fortunately for her, her speed had increased to the point that even Charizard couldn't catch up to her.

Red watched where Vitesse was running to, and suddenly cried out a warning to his Pokémon. "Charizard, bank away!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Bounce at the wall, then rebound!" Mark shouted to Vitesse.

Charizard started to turn. Vitesse sprang forward, turning her back to the wall as she flew before using it to jump back at Charizard, angling her leap so that she could get within his flight path. Charizard saw her out of his peripheral, looking back in her direction as she arched right at him, both of her fists crackling with another Thunderpunch just as Mark had directed. His eyes widened, realizing her intentions. It seemed like she had him…

But then he folded in his wings, and plunged. She soared over his back, missing him completely and sparing his wings from the shocking touch of her fists. Charizard narrowly pulled out of his dive after landing feet first and taking off back into the air again, while Vitesse rolled as she returned to ground, breaking her fall and turning to see Charizard as he rose back into the air.

"Damn!" Mark cursed lowly, realizing that Red had seen right through his plan. 'I've got to ground that reptile or Vitesse won't stand a chance! And I can't switch to Siren; if even Tanker couldn't take a punch from Charizard, she'd get flattened by him!'

Even if he were to switch to his Milotic, he didn't want to. Mark wanted Vitesse to be the one to beat Charizard; she and him were alike in that they had both been the first Pokémon of their trainers, standing with them in every battle from their first gym all the way to their ascension to Champion. They both had a similar upbringing, and they were both the finest Pokémon that Mark and Fred respectively had ever raised. If Vitesse could defeat Charizard, it would mean that she and Mark were the stronger team, and deep down he felt that this would be what would prove whether he was the trainer he should have been, or not.

No, it had to be Vitesse who would win or lose this battle. And it was up to Mark to find out how to do it. No more excuses; there was a way, and he would find it.

He watched Charizard's flight path, while Vitesse reverted to dodging his distance attacks, avoiding. Red's Pokémon was using one Fire Blast after another, aiming carefully but Vitesse was too swift for him to land an accurate shot, changing direction when he attempted a leading shot. After four or so attempts, he tries once more, only for smoke to escape his mouth. He had used up all his flame power!

'Now he'll have to come down!' Mark realized.

"Charizard, use Swift!" Red shouted.

'Or not…' Mark thought with exasperation.

Charizard let out a deep growl before throwing out his wings, countless glowing projectiles shaped like stars forming in front of the leathery membranes before sending them soaring forth, all of them arching towards Vitesse. 'So much for that,' Mark grumbled in his mind, watching as Vitesse ran to the side to avoid the stars. Some of them struck the ground and dissipated, but not all of them did; some veered at the last minute, arching towards Vitesse and homing in her like a swarm of heat seeking missiles.  
'What the hell?' Mark demanded in his mind, watching as the stars chased Vitesse, and then cursed under his breath. 'A homing attack just like Aura Sphere! No matter how much she runs, they'll keep chasing her!'

The stars were increasing in number as Charizard generated more of them, occasionally beating his wings to keep himself aloft but after each series of flaps, more stars formed. Vitesse is running to and for, seeking cover, but the plateau is only open ground; nothing for her to use as a shield or for cover. Mark knew Swift was not a powerful attack, and Vitesse could likely withstand it, but taking that many hits would put her at a disadvantage. She was running out of places to run, the stars nearing the hundreds at least, and she was heading for the cliff wall.

'She's going to get cornered!' Mark realized in horror, thinking hard on what to do. How could he save Vitesse from that Swift attack?! 'If only I'd taught her Protect!'  
Suddenly, he had an idea. "Vitesse, block them with Dual Chop!"

Vitesse, with her back now to the wall, ignited her hands with the energy of the Dragon-type attack, and lashes out at the nearest star as it beelined towards her. It shattered as though made of glass, and in a blur of motion her other hand struck another star, yielding the same result. Seeing that her trainer's suggestion was working, she struck the stars that raced towards her while staying mobile to avoid the others; those that could not correct course fast enough struck the wall behind her, shattering. Some still made it through her defense, grazing her body and causing some pain, but her swiftness was saving her from the worst of it.

However, she was far from safe, even as the stars lessened to none, she did not see the danger plummeting straight at her. "Vitesse, look out!" Mark practically screamed as Charizard fell towards her, fist drawn back to strike.

After shattering the last star, Charizard seemed to appear as if from nowhere, racing towards her with a feral growl as his fist, glowing a bright white, was brought forth to strike. Time seemed to slow as Vitesse reacted, narrowly spinning out of the way of Charizard's Mega Punch. But not what followed; the stone wall behind her exploded, sending chunks of rock striking her in the back and sending pain arching across her back, stumbling the Blaziken. Vitesse struggled to regain her balance, turning to face Charizard just as he attempted to strike her with Mega Punch with his other arm. She banked to the side, dodging the attack.

"Low Sweep!" Mark called.

Vitesse ducked just as Charizard swung with his other arm once again, falling onto her hands and swiping her leg at Charizard's, taking both out from under him and sending Charizard falling to the ground with a surprised growl. With that, Vitesse jumped away, performing a backflip and landing on her feet.

"Good move, girl! Now, Bulk-up and Roost!"

She complied, focusing her energy to strengthen and rejuvenate herself, flexing her arms proudly before returning to her combat stance. "Now, Dual Chop!"

Charizard was back on his feet and about to take flight again, already hopping up and flapping his wings but Vitesse was quicker, charging at him full sprint and practically a blur as she charged, appearing right in front of him and surprising Charizard with her speed. She struck him once across the face, followed by a direct knife hand strike to his chest. Now slightly winded by her strike, Charizard fell back to the ground, wincing from the strikes; Vitesse landed in front of him, only to run around him with blinding speed and lunge for his back, delivering a double Thunderpunch to his wing joints before he could recover.

Charizard roared in agony, and then turned on her violently, kicking Vitesse square in the stomach before she could react and sending her flying. The Blaziken wheezed as she fell onto her back, clutching where she had been kicked and curling her legs in pain.

"Vitesse! Are you okay?" Mark called to her, and sighed with relief as she jumped back to her feet, rubbing her stomach with clear discomfort but she was otherwise okay. 'She's got a huge advantage in speed, but Charizard's just way too strong -stronger than even her,' thought Mark. Fighting him head-on was dangerous, but if she didn't keep the pressure on, he would keep pelting her with Swift or any other distance attacks he might have known until the shock to his wings faded away and he would fly again.  
'I can't let him fly again. That jolt to his wings isn't going to last long,' he thought. "Stay nimble, girl; get in there with Dual Chop again!"

Vitesse's talons once more glowed with the dragonic power, rushing at Charizard to resume the battle. "Dragon Claw!" Red called out to his Pokémon. In response, Charizard held out his arms, from which extended three-fingered claws made of a green aura, crossing them in front of himself and blocking Vitesse's first knife hand strike, throwing open his arms again to throw her back before lunging forward and slashing at her.

She evaded, lunging forward and striking Charizard in his exposed belly. He huffed, but retaliated promptly with a claw to her shoulder, biting into her flesh and sending shredded pieces of feathers scattering to the air. Their exchange of strikes carried into a flurry of trading blows, fist, claw and foot all colliding with one another in a chaotic contest. Despite Vitesse's immeasurable speed, somehow Charizard was keeping pace with her enough that he could defend against her attacks, and he struck with such force that it overwhelmed the Blaziken's attempts at guarding, forcing Vitesse to rely entirely on dodging to avoid damage.

This, however, was quickly wearing on Vitesse. She was already starting to slow down, struggling to keep on the pressure, but the same could not be said for her opponent; Charizard was doing less dodging and more just taking Vitesse's hits in a show of durability. Mark was quickly beginning to realize that Charizard was going to outlast Vitesse if this kept up, but he was out of options; Vitesse had no other attacks that would affect the mighty Dragon Pokémon -her Blaze Kick would barely affect him, and Flare Blitz, though powerful enough to inflict harm, wouldn't be enough to finish him off -it'd be more likely to knock her out just by using it. Bounce was out of the question too -at their current range, Charizard could easily catch her before she could complete her leap, or worse, fire another Swift attack -if she was airborne, she could not maneuver.

"Come on, Vitesse!" Mark hissed; he couldn't give her any more instruction -he'd tried everything, thrown everything he had at Charizard. "You can beat him! Give it all you got!"

Spurred on by her trainer's words, Vitesse struck out with another Dual Chop, swinging at Charizard perhaps harder than she had before. Charizard recoiled from the strike, only to kick her once more and send her skidding backward.

"Finish her off with Dragon Claw!" Red called.

Charizard's claws formed again, and he threw himself towards Vitesse. Not in flight, but in a leap, claws drawn back to attack and eliciting a feral growl of triumph as he fell towards her, bringing his claws down to win the battle. But Vitesse caught Charizard by both arms, seizing him by his wrists before she twisted her body about sharply, turning her arms in the process and causing Charizard to spin as he was flipped around and sent hurtling to the ground with a crash and a plume of dust marking his point of landing.  
She had done it, Mark realized. Vitesse had executed a back throw, overcoming Charizard's superior might with technique just as they had been practicing. He couldn't contain his excitement after witnessing such a flawless execution of the throw, throwing his arm into the air whooping joyously. "Way to go girl!" He called out.

He felt a swell of pride in himself, knowing that his training with Vitesse was bearing fruit. She was mastering all the techniques he shared with her faster than he ever had -what took him four plus years had taken her a fourth of the time. 'I wonder if this is how a sensei I feels when one of their students make such an accomplishment?' He thought to himself, suddenly thinking back to his early Judo lessons and the teacher he had…

But now was not the time for reminiscing; a deep growl warned him that Charizard was not down for the count. He defiantly rolled onto his front, wincing as he tried to move one of his wings, which was now hanging limp at his side. The collision with the ground after being thrown had evidently hurt it, having been pressed under his own bodily mass. Now the fight would have to stay on the ground.

"Charizard, hang in there!" Red called, motivating his Pokémon. "Use Roost!"

'He knows Roost?!' Mark thought in horror, watching as Charizard held out his good wing, from which spawn a plethora of ethereal feathers that slowly encircled and encompassed him. When they vanished, most of the bruises caused by Vitesse's attacks had faded from his body. It hadn't healed his wing, but he was now back in better fighting shape.

"Geez this guy just won't stay down," Mark grumbled in a low voice.

"Go Blast Burn!" Red called to Charizard, filling Mark's chest with feeling of horror as he heard Red call out the most powerful Fire-type attack in all the world.

"Oh shit! Vitesse, get away, fast!" Mark shouted.

Charizard growled again as the flames from his maw intensified along with his tail flame as he raised his fist. Vitesse, listening to her trainer, spun around and fled as Charizard struck the ground, causing cracks to form around him, from which a white-hot light shone, followed by a huge explosion that shattered the land around them. Vitesse outran the explosion for a few seconds but was eventually sent hurtling forwards by the blast, and even Mark and Red had to cover their faces with their arms to defend against flying debris.

The force of the explosion was felt even from the top of the stairs where Randy, Brock, Blue, Lance and the Elite Four, and even the staff members from the Pokémon league were watching. Some ducked for cover instinctively, but others like Lance and Koga only held up their arms to protect their eyes, cape and scarf billowing out behind them in the wind. Randy was trying to protect both himself and his camcorder without losing any footage of the battle.

Only when the explosion subsided did they dare to look back down to the battle below. Charizard could not be seen through the cloud of smoke emanating from the point of the blast origin, but Vitesse was lying over by the cliff face. They could see her rolling onto her back and sitting up, along with Mark calling out to her as he ran to her side. She rubbed the back of her aching neck as Mark dropped to his knees beside her.

"Vitesse, are you okay?" He asked.

She shook her head briskly to clear the debris from her crown, which was now a mess from the blast, before turning to her trainer and nodding. She had escaped the worst of the blast thanks to her speed. Mark sighed with relief once more, smiling at her. "Good," he said.

But once again, that low growl permeated the air, bringing their attention to the column of smoke which hid Charizard. They could see a blue glow emanating from within the cloud, eyes widening in alarm as Charizard stepped out, his red eyes finding his opponent once more, where he then bared his teeth.

Red stepped into view as well, appearing beside Charizard and fixing Mark with a determined look. "This battle isn't over yet," he stated.

Mark looked at Red briefly, and then Charizard, surprised by the resilience of the dragon; Blast Burn was the most powerful Fire-type attack known to Pokémon trainers, and came with a heavy cost -the amount of power required to use it was severely draining, yet Charizard had seemingly not even stopped to catch his breath.

However, as Mark watched, he saw Charizard shudder a bit, prompting Mark to study him more closely, realizing that Charizard standing tall at that moment was a ruse. He could see the tiredness in Charizard's stance; his knees were shaking, and his good wing was only half folded. Despite the tenacity he displayed, Charizard was in fact exhausted. But so was Vitesse; the two had fought for what felt like hours; at this point, he couldn't be sure who would be left standing after the next attack.

But Vitesse indeed rose back to her feet, using her hands for support as she stood, meeting Charizard's gaze. Mark saw how wobbly she was, and the flaming ribbons trailing from her wrists had shrunk down to half of their usual length. Only willpower was keeping her on her feet now.

"You sure, girl?" Mark asked, concerned for her well being. "Charizard's weakened enough Siren or Fang can finish him off."

But she gave a shake of her in refusal to Mark's suggestion. He looked her in the eye, seeing her desire to win. He knew at that moment that Vitesse wanted to win this battle for him; just as Mark himself did, she wanted to be the one to prevail against Charizard to the finish, not just to be the one that softened him up for one of her comrades to defeat. Her resolve alleviated Mark's concern, and he rose to stand next to her, clapping her shoulder with his hand.

"I know you can do it," he said with affirmation.

She nodded to him, and then turned to Charizard again. That was the cue for Mark and Red to get some distance from them. The battle was about to end, and it would be determined in the next one or two attacks.

"This contest is about to end," stated Lance, narrowing his gaze.

"Who is it going to be?" Brock asked, leaning forward on his arms.

"Come on, Mark," Randy said in a low voice, watching intently through his camcorder. "Come on, Vitesse…"

Off to the side where Mark had been standing previously, Fang and Siren were both cheering on their comrade. Fang's barks and Siren's cries reached Vitesse, and only increased her desire to win. Charizard's steely gaze met her own, their spirits burning as brightly as their flames. Both reverted to the combat ready stances simultaneously, and their trainers gave them the order.

"Mega Punch!" Red shouted.

"Dual Chop!" Mark commanded.

They lunged at each other, both crying out at the other as their arms made contact. Charizard's punch rattled Vitesse, but she held firm, pushing Charizard's arm aside before she attacked with her other hand, striking his cheek. He winced, but he didn't give an inch, retaliating with a second punch. Vitesse recoiled from the hit, barely recovering in time as he lunged at her again, where she then delivered a roundhouse kick to his exposed ribs, staggering him. He followed up with a Dragon Claw at Red's command, forcing her to jump away to avoid the attack.

Finally, the last attack was called out by both trainers simultaneously, putting everything into an all or nothing final push.

"Flare Blitz!"

Vitesse and Charizard attacked at the same time, both launching themselves at the other as flames exploded around them. Vitesse shrieked, Charizard roared, and their cries were heard until the midair collision that sent a ripple through the air itself that blew Red's hat from the top of his head and causing Mark's vest to billow out as it would if he stood in the wind.

Both Pokémon were launched backward from the collision. Vitesse arched through the air, limp and seemingly unconscious as she was making no attempt to soften her landing. Mark saw this, and immediately ran to get under her, barely making it enough to catch her only to be knocked over himself when he failed to brace himself. Charizard managed to stay upright as he made it back to ground, stumbling on his own feet until he tripped over his own tail and began to fall back. Red rushed over to him and managed to catch Charizard before he fell, grunting with effort as he tried to hold him up.

And just like that, both Pokémon devolved from their Mega Evolutions back to the forms of a regular Charizard and Blaziken, their eyes shut as they panted for breath.

"Who… who won?" Blue asked.

"I think it was…" Brock began but trailed off, not so certain himself.

For the next moment or so, nobody seemed able to agree on a definitive answer as to who the victor was. "It seems they've tied," stated Lance, speaking for them all.

"A battle with two ties in it," Randy chimed in, referring to the double knockout between Venusaur and Saber earlier in the match. "That's a first for me. But hey! Mark's the winner, right? He's got two Pokémon left, Red's out."

"Where did you learn to count?" Blue asked in a condescending tone. "Red's not out of Pokémon; he still has one left."

"Oh, right… that last battle was so intense, I completely forgot," replied Randy, brushing off Blue's tone. "Well regardless, Mark has the advantage -it's two to one now."

"If Red has the one I think he does, I guarantee you, Mark does not have the advantage," retorted Blue.

Randy turned to Blue, rather fed up with his cynicism. "You've been going on about how Mark isn't going to win this battle since it started," he stated, glowering. "In case you haven't noticed, he's pushed Red to the brink. Are you so sour about Mark beating you that all you can do is talk smack about him when he's winning?"

Blue shot Randy a dirty look. "If you think you've seen Red's best Pokémon, you're wrong. He's got one that's even stronger than Charizard."

The tone of Blue's voice told Randy that he was serious about what he was saying, staring at him in disbelief for a moment before he looked back down to the battlefield below, seeing how damaged it was from over the course of the clash between Vitesse and Charizard. Much of the damage had been caused by Charizard when he had used Blast Burn, and yet Blue claimed that there was a Pokémon even stronger than that on Red's team?

"What the hell could be that powerful?" He asked in a whisper.

As the conversation above was carried out, Vitesse and Charizard both began to stir again, finding their trainers looking down at them with concern. At almost the same time, the two Pokémon turned their heads to look at each other, and it was then they understood how the battle had ended.

Vitesse looked up at Mark in apology, but he only smiled at her. "You've nothing to be sorry for, girl," he assured her gently. "You fought like a Champion, and I'm proud of you."  
He heard light footsteps approaching, and looked up to see Fang padding his way over to them, carrying Mark's bag in his jaws. Siren was right behind him, waving to and fro as she slithered after him. "Hey look, here comes your support group." Mark commented in jest.

Fang set the bag down by Vitesse's leg as he stepped over, looking up at her and whining slightly. She reached down and stroked the top of his head as Mark accepted the bag he'd brought over, giving Fang a pet on the neck and saying "Good boy," before he turned his attention to his bag, retrieving a handful of Sitrus berries -and noticing he was running low on them. "I'll have to get more of these soon," he commented before he offered the berries to Vitesse. "Here you go girl; these should give you some energy back."

She nodded, weakly reaching with her other talon, but barely able to grasp them in her weakened state. Mark used his arms as he tried to prop her up, and then looked up and smiled at Siren gratuitously as the Milotic slid behind Vitesse, letting the Blaziken lean on her for support as she ate the berries, letting their rejuvenating fluids flow down her throat one at a time as Mark fed them to her. By the third berry, she was strong enough to take the others and eat them herself.

Red was giving Charizard a similar treatment, giving him medicine that his face scrunched at the taste of, but he diligently drank it. It seemed to work within seconds, giving him the strength to sit up on his own without Red's help, looking at Red and nodding his head to him. Red smiled at gently stroked Charizard's muzzle. "You were amazing as always, Charizard," he said. "Great job, and thank you." He looked in Mark's direction, feeling a warmth in his heart when he saw how not only Mark but his Pokémon as well were helping the Blaziken recover from the battle. "Well would you look at that. They're like a family, aren't they?"

Charizard rumbled in agreement, but after watching the three for a moment, he turned to Red again, letting out a low growl to get his attention. Red looked at him curiously, seeing the look in his eyes, and then nodded to him. "Yeah, you're right," he said, reaching for his fallen hat and holding it in his hand. "This battle must go on. Want to stay out here to watch then?"

Charizard nodded in reply, slowly standing up and standing at Red's side as his trainer called out to his opponent. "Hey Mark!" He called, getting the Hoenn trainer's attention. "You know, I still have one Pokémon left. So, our battle is still ongoing."

Mark looked at Vitesse, their eyes meeting as he silently wondered what she thought. She answered him only with a short stare and a nod of her head, which he returned, and then looked at Red. "Okay; just give me a moment," he said, turning his attention back to Vitesse.

He offered her his hand, helping her stand up and assisted her as they returned to the original spot that they had stood at the start of the battle. Vitesse sat down again, using her hands for support, while Fang and Siren remained on either side of her; they were Mark's last Pokémon, and both were ready for the battle ahead. Fang had yet to receive his turn, and Siren had fully healed from her battle with Pikachu before; both were prime and ready, and Mark was certain that victory would be theirs regardless of what Red was bringing out.

Of course, he didn't know what Red had left. He had defeated what Mark believed to be Red's strongest Pokémon. Red had even strayed outside of his usual modus operandi by bringing out Charizard as his second-last Pokémon instead of his last choice as he was famously known to do. It was clear to Mark now that habit and M.O did not apply to Red; he would adapt to his situation, and whatever Pokémon he still had, he was willing to bet there was a very good reason as to why he had saved it for last.  
Mark watched with his heart racing in anticipation as Red produced his sixth and last Poké Ball. He saw by its black and white colouring with the yellow crest that it was an Ultra Ball; Mark's mind flashed back to his battle with Lance, to the Pokémon he himself had carried in such a ball. Hydreigon had been a fearsome opponent with incredible power, and now another Pokémon contained in such a ball was about to be revealed to him.

"This is it, Mark," stated Red, replacing his hat back upon his head and adjusting it until the shade hung squarely above his eyes, casting them in a slight shadow as he raised his head again. "I chose this Pokémon for this battle because I wanted to see if you would be the one to push me to use it, and you have done so. Now, come on out!" Red called as he threw the ball into the air.

The ball opened, and the Pokémon contained within was released, materializing in the air above into a humanoid form. The being that emerged however was completely alien to Mark, who stood both awestricken and clueless by the strange Pokémon that Red had called forth. It was a strangely humanoid Pokémon with some felinoid features, such as the shape of its head being quite like that of a cat, though instead of ears it seemed to have two short, blunt 'horns' protruding from the top of its head where said ears would have been. Its violet eyes glared from beneath a furrowed brow as it fixed its gaze down upon Mark as it levitated overhead. A tube-like growth extended from the base of its skull to conjoin with the top of its spine at the base of its neck.

The rest of its body was a pale gray skin, pale almost to being a pink-white, with a purple streak running from its belly and its lower back. A tail longer than its own body swayed beneath it, stretching several feet before thinning out and then flaring again into a bulbous tip at the end of its tail. It had definitive shoulders and chest, which resembled a sort of breastplate but were completely part of its body, almost like a naturally grown armour. Its legs were a little shorter than its height would suggest, and when it descended to the ground below it stood on the very tips of its footpaws, like it was tip-toeing. Finally, its arms, short and scrawny, suggested a lack of physical fitness, and its 'hands' had three short fingers with round tips.

The spectators stared in awe at the newly revealed Pokémon below -all except Blue, who had apparently seen the Pokémon before. They watched in silence as it lowered itself to the ground, and it was finally Randy who spoke first.

"What the freaking frick is that?!" He demanded as he brought out his PokéDex, holding it up to get a picture of the strange Pokémon. "I have seen a lot of Pokémon in my time but I've never seen one like that before!"

As if to add to his confusion, however, when the desk pulled up a display of the Pokémon, the entry listed 'No data available', not even able to give a name or any other statistics to the identity of this Pokémon. "What the shit? That's a bunch of boo-hack!"

"You won't find that that Pokémon in any 'Dex entries, pal," stated Blue. "That Pokémon is one of a kind -the only one of its kind. No other one like it exists in the entire world."  
"So, that's it," stated Brock. "Red's living proof that Mew is real."

"Mew?" Randy echoed. "Wait a minute; I've seen a lot of artist's interpretations of Mew and not one of them looked like that -I mean the tail is… almost right, but the rest of it? No; you can't tell me that's Mew."

"It's not Mew," stated Blue firmly. "That, is Mew _two_."

"Mewtw-What?!" Randy demanded, mouth hanging agape. He fumbled to find words for a moment before he grabbed his head in frustration, clawing at his scalp feverishly through his hair. "Oh, I'm totally lost now!" He practically hollered.

Down below, Mark stared at the strange Pokémon -he had not heard its name yet- with a mix of curiosity and shock, wondering what sort of freak of nature he was looking at. Nothing about this Pokémon seemed normal to him -even without being a Pokémon himself it just felt unnatural, like this thing he saw should not exist. To his right, Fang was stepping back warily to stand in Mark's shadow -a Mightyena that could look dragons in the eye without even flinching was afraid of this creature. Was this a sign of just how powerful it was? Or perhaps, an indication that Mark was indeed not looking upon a natural life form?

Suddenly, his mind raced back to the day he and Randy had visited Pallet Town and encountered Professor Oak at his laboratory. "It's not my place to say what it is, but let's just say that Red carries with him the most definitive proof of Mew's existence that has ever been found," had been his exact words.

'Could this Pokémon be what Oak was talking about?' Mark asked, among a thousand other questions racing through his mind at that moment. 'Is this the living proof of Mew's existence?'

"I take it you're shocked?" Red asked. "I seem to get that reaction a lot when I actually use Mewtwo."

"I'm… something alright," Mark returned. "What Pokémon is that? I've never seen anything like it."

"Because there isn't another like it," replied Red. "This is Mewtwo, a Pokémon created by science."

"You mean like Voltorb and Porygon?" Mark asked.

"Yes and no," replied Red. "Mewtwo is different from them as he was made through genetic engineering, and not the result of an accident as Voltorb is, or born of programming like Porygon." He adjusted his hat once again, flicking a speck of dust from the brim. "I'll explain it all to you after this. For now, let's get back to the battle; show me you have what it takes to challenge a Legendary Pokémon!"

Mark swallowed hard, feeling his heart leapt into his throat. He had often wondered how his Pokémon would stand up to a Legendary, but he did not anticipate facing one in Red's possession -not to mention one that was so obscure and unknown. Not one he knew anything about either -he could not even tell what type of Pokémon it was as he knew nothing about Mew, let alone this… other, that stood before him.

Mark studied Mewtwo carefully, his eyes exploring its physique. Without seeing it in action for himself before now or having any means of studying it in advance, his only option was to trust his eyes. 'Judging by those thin arms, this Pokémon is probably not a close combat type. Doesn't look like it could throw much of a punch, though it's legs and tail seem a little more defined… still, I'm going with Special Attacker for this one. Hopefully it's as frail as it looks and then maybe Siren can outlast it.'  
He turned to look over his shoulder to the Milotic. "You ready, girl?" He asked.

She nodded her head to him before turning her gaze forward once more. With brief hesitation, she slithered her long body out to the battlefield, watching Mewtwo intently as she did. Mark could tell that despite her willingness to battle it, Mewtwo intimidated her as much as it did Fang. There was something they knew that he didn't; he had to be on his guard.

"Let's begin!" Red called. "Mewtwo, use Psychic!"

Mewtwo's body emitted a faint blue aura as it carried out the attack, lifting its arm before thrusting his palm in Siren's direction. The air between the two of them seemed to be forcefully parted as the telekinetic blast raced at the Milotic. Siren braced herself, but was still blown back by the attack, crying out as she was thrown back several feet until she managed to correct herself and return to an upright position.

"Water Pulse!" Mark ordered.

"Light Screen!" Red called.

As Siren conjured the condensed ball of liquid, a multi coloured wall appeared in front of Mewtwo, and with a striking motion, she sent it straight towards Mewtwo. The screen caught the attack, scattering it harmlessly and leaving Mewtwo untouched.

"Shit!" Mark cursed. "Siren, Hypnosis!"

"Safeguard!" Red countered, and just as Siren herself had done against Pikachu, a mystical veil appeared in front of Mewtwo; a red tinted aura emanated from the wall a second after -the same colour as Siren's eyes. Her hypnotic gaze was successfully blocked by the wall, leaving Mewtwo unaffected.  
Now it was Red's turn to take the offensive. "Use Energy Ball!"

Mewtwo's held up its hand, and a glowing green sphere materialized above its palm, growing to roughly the size of a basketball before Mewtwo lowered its hand, pointing at Siren. This motion sent the glowing sphere on a collision course with the Milotic, racing across the battlefield towards her.

"Watch out!" Mark called instinctively even as Siren was already in the process of dodging; she threw herself out of the ball's path, firing another Water Pulse at Mewtwo, but Light Screen was still active and once again appeared to protect Mewtwo from harm.

"Blizzard!" Mark ordered.

At Mark's command, Siren breathed a cone of blowing snow and ice crystals in Mewtwo's direction. Unlike the previous attack, Mewtwo showed visible discomfort from the attack, though as before Light Screen and Safeguard still activated again to protect Mewtwo from damage or Blizzard's freezing effect. Blizzard was Siren's strongest attack and even it wasn't enough to weaken Mewtwo.

'Damn it, I can barely even hurt this guy!' Mark thought in frustration. 'Siren just isn't strong enough!'

"Mewtwo, Energy Ball again!"

This time, when Mewtwo cast the sphere of power at Siren, she was not able to get out of the way in time, taking a direct hit to her middle. She shrieked with pain, recoiling from the hit, but Mark was quick to react. "Use Recover!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Red objected. "Mewtwo, Disable!"

Siren was just in the process of using recover when Mewtwo's eyes glowed brightly with a pale blue gleam. The same kind of glow appeared around Siren, and suddenly she was frozen in place until it faded, after which Mark could see that the injury left by Energy Ball had not healed, and despite a second attempt to use Recover by Siren, it did nothing.

"Now, Psystrike!" Red barked.

Once more, Mewtwo's eyes glowed brightly as it slowly raised its arm over its head. As it hovered in place, several diamond-shaped forms materialized around the strange Pokémon, and with a clench of its hand, they all soared at Siren. She tried to intercept them with Water Pulse, but they blew through the condensed water sphere as if it were air, and the projectiles struck Siren consecutively, shattering upon impact and making her wail in pain.

"No, Siren!" Mark called, horrified. "Red, stop! That's enough!"

"Mewtwo, stand down!" Red commanded.

At Red's call, Mewtwo reverted to a calmer stance, blinking away the glow from its eyes as it stood waiting, while Mark and Fang ran out to the fallen Milotic to check on her. Mark fell to his knees at her side, lowering himself down enough that he could see her face. "Siren, are you okay?" He asked.

Hers eyes shakily opened and rolled to look up at her trainer, cooing weakly at him. He reached out to touch her, but pulled his hand back when she flinched at his touch, prompting him to look at the spot where he had placed his hand. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the broken skin and flowering bruise around it.

'That's no energy-inflicted wound; that's from something solid!' He thought. 'Psystrike… it works just like Psyshock -kinetic projectiles formed from psionic energy. But that move showed a lot more control and overall power than Psyshock,' He looked up, turning to Mewtwo and narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 'So, this thing is a Psychic type, then.'  
He turned back to Siren, once more reaching out to pet her but this time taking care not to touch where she had been hit. "Thanks for trying, Siren," he said softly as he produced her Poké Ball. "Now rest up; you've definitely earned it. I'll get you to the center as soon as we're done here."

She let out a low whine to her trainer and closed her eyes before Mark recalled her, returning her safely to the confines of the ball and stored it back into his vest. 'Now what?' He wondered. 'I'm down to my last Pokémon, but is Fang strong enough? After what just happened to Siren…'

He heard Fang bark at him, snapping him out of his trance and turning his gaze to the Mightyena, locking eyes with his Pokémon. Fang stood staring at him for a moment until Mark understood what his Pokémon was trying to say, but he could only frown in response.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

Fang nodded his head at Mark. He was willing to try, as long as his trainer was. Mark smiled at Fang, and then rose to his feet, drawing in a deep breath before exhaling. With that, he turned to Red and Mewtwo again. "Last round, Red," he stated as Fang stepped forward, growling lowly as he stared at Mewtwo.

"Alright then," he said.

As Fang took his position, Mark began to think about how he was going to prevail in this battle. He thought back to Siren's battle, and to the attacks Mewtwo had used. 'There has to be a clue in how Red has been battling with Mewtwo. He's been using a lot of defensive attacks as if he was trying to avoid damage at all costs. As for offensive attacks, I've seen Energy Ball -a Grass-type moves, and two Psychic-type moves. Psychic moves won't work on Fang, so I've got nothing to fear from those. But if I've learned anything about Red it's that he thinks of everything. Just like with Blue's Alakazam he probably taught it some kind of attack for taking on Dark-types.'

Mark raised his head as a spark of realization surged through his mind, remembering how quickly Alakazam fell against Fang. 'Wait a minute! Just like Alakazam; maybe that's it! Alakazam is powerful on the attack but it's defenses are quite weak without the right moves to balance them out. Especially up close. What if Mewtwo is the same way -maybe it's a glass cannon! Even Legendary Pokémon have weaknesses. I just hope I'm right. But if I am, then it's imperative I get Fang up close and weaken Mewtwo's distance strength as much as possible'

"Since you don't seem intent on making the first move, I will!" Red declared. "Mewtwo, Aura Sphere!"

"Say what?!" Mark heard Randy call out in surprise

Mark was equally shocked, having never seen nor heard of another Pokémon capable of using Aura Sphere aside from Lucario. Fortunately, as Mewtwo conjured the glowing blue sphere of pure kinetic energy between his hands, Mark knew what to do about it.

"Fang, run for the wall!" Mark instructed, pointing westwards.

Without question, the Mightyena bolted from his current position, making a beeline for the cliff wall just as Mewtwo hurled the Aura Sphere. As expected, it was homing after Fang, pursuing his aura and completely zeroed in.

"What's Mark doing?" Lance asked as he watched the spectacle unfold. "Aura Sphere cannot miss, and his Pokémon cannot hope to outrun it forever."  
But Randy only smiled. "I think I see what he's doing."

No sooner did Randy say this that Fang reached the wall. He did not even need instructions from Mark on what to do; he knew precisely what his trainer was planning, for he sprang at the wall, landing against it with all fours before jumping off again, evading the Aura Sphere as it raced towards him only to shatter on the cliff face, demolishing the rock where it hit but causing Fang himself no harm.

Lance was stunned. "How did he…?" He began, but trailed off as the battle resumed.

"Fang, Torment!" Mark called.

With that, an ominous crimson glow emanated from Fang's body, followed by his eyes, and with a frightening snarl, the same aura appeared around Mewtwo, and the Psychic-type cringed as if it were in pain, but quickly shook it off, trying Aura Sphere again only for a red bolt of lightning to arc across its body, once again causing it to tense with pain.

"Now, Snarl!" Mark commanded.

Fang's eyes glowed again as he inhaled sharply before unleashing a powerful snarl from his open maw, dark ripples filling the air around Mewtwo as the sound based attack reached it. Mewtwo recoiled as if it had been struck in the chest.

"Energy Ball!" Red ordered.

Mewtwo complied with the attack change, forming another green sphere like the one that had defeated Siren. But unlike Aura Sphere, Energy Ball did not home in on its targets; Fang's act to avoid Aura Sphere had put him a fair distance from Mewtwo's location and it had not moved any closer, allowing Fang to easily avoid the Energy Ball by jumping to the left.

"Keep using Snarl!" Mark directed, prompting Fang to release the attack again, once more causing Mewtwo to recoil as it was hit. It was then Mark noticed that Mewtwo's light screen had faded as it was no longest

This time when Mewtwo shook off the hit, its expression turned from one of discomfort to one of anger. Riling it up had never been part of his strategy but Mark knew an angry Pokémon could be as much a hindrance to itself as an angry human could be to themselves, so he was fully prepared to take advantage of the situation.

"Mewtwo, move closer!" Red called, realizing that distance wasn't helping in this battle.

Mewtwo let out a deep growl as it propelled itself forward via telekinesis, closing the distance between Fang and itself as, at Red's command, it used Aura Sphere again, but as before, Fang dashed out of the path, the swift moving sphere unable to correct course before it struck the wall, once more wasting one of the few attacks it had that could hurt Fang.

Fang used Snarl again as Mewtwo drew closer, giving it no time to put up a new Light Screen as Red commanded, followed by a retaliating Energy Ball that Fang wasn't able to dodge with Mewtwo only a few meters away. Fang seemed to be cornered, with the cliff at his back and Mewtwo in front of him, but Mark was not troubled by this, because his plan was working.

Fang recovered from the Energy Ball within seconds of taking the hit, turning his gaze back to Mewtwo and curling his lips back in what could only have been a grin. The repeated Snarl attacks had weakened Mewtwo's attack strength, and now he was only a short sprint away. Fang charged, running away from the cliff wall and leaping at Mewtwo as Mark called out his next command.

"Crunch!"

Mewtwo tried to dodge, but Fang was too quick, clamping down on Mewtwo's arm and yanking him out of midair with a sharp pull and a painful bite. Mewtwo howled in agony, trying to wrench its arm free of Fang's powerful jaws. Fang tenaciously kept his grip, pulling again every time Mewtwo tried to conjure an attack, throwing off his aim or disrupting its focus

"Brutal Swing!" Red ordered.

Mewtwo finally stopped trying to pull it's arm free, and instead raised its tail. A dark aura emanated from the bulbous tip before, with a sharp twist of its hips, the tip of its tail lashed against Fang's unprotected flank like a bull whip, causing him to yelp instinctively and loosening his jaws just enough for Mewtwo to pull its arm free. It then proceeded to turn sharply in the opposite direction, swinging its entire body around -no doubt levitating to turn so violently, and striking Fang across the face, once more bringing an agonized yelp as he was bludgeoned.

Mark swore under his breath. 'Mewtwo hits harder than I thought!' "Fang, Crunch before he can levitate again!"

But as Fang lunged forth to attack, Red intervened once more. "Barrier!"

Mewtwo thrust both palms forward towards Fang, and then Mightyena struck an invisible shield, thudding against it as heavily as he would a real wall, once more letting out that pained yelp that made Mark's heart twist at the sound of. 'Of course there'd be a physical defense as well…' Should he really have expected any less?  
"Now, Aura Sphere!" Red ordered.

"Shadow Ball!" Mark countered.

At almost the exact same time, Fang and Mewtwo launched their respective projectiles, both flying over one another as they beeline towards their intended targets; Mark had hoped to intercept Aura Sphere with the Shadow Ball but Fang's aim was not on point. It still was heading for Mewtwo. However, Aura Sphere found its target first; Fang was struck square in the chest and blown from his feet, hitting the ground and skidding across few feet before coming to a stop, where he lay unmoving.

Without even checking to see what became of Mewtwo, Mark was already running over to Fang, dropping to his side and crouching over the Mightyena to check him.  
As he feared, Fang was out cold, and with that, the battle was over.

"Fang…" Mark said in a whisper, gingerly placing a hand on Fang's side, stroking his fur gently. "Good try, boy," he said quietly, before finally mustering the courage to look in Red's direction, only to feel like a heavy blanket of iron rings had been draped over him following what he saw.

Mewtwo was still up, the fading aftermath of a Light Screen vanishing just as Mark looked over. It had blocked the attack while Mark had not been looking…

With a heavy heart and a long, unhappy sigh, Mark turned his gaze down to Fang once again. "It's over, then," he said in a low voice. "We lost…"

Meanwhile, Red stepped forward to stand at Mewtwo's side, looking up at his Pokémon with an approving smile. "Well done, my friend," he said, before holding out Mewtwo's Poké Ball. Mewtwo nodded back to him, before quietly returning to his ball following Red activating the recall. With that, the Kanto trainer crossed the battlefield to where Mark sat in the dirt next to his fallen Mightyena, who still had not come around yet.

Mark looked up as Red approached him, their eyes meeting for a moment until Red came to a stop, with Fang now laying between him unconscious. After a second or so of waiting, Red knelt, looking at Fang and then at Mark, smiling lightly and placing a hand on Mark's shoulder. "You two were amazing," he said, before cocking his head back in the direction of the League terminal. "Let's go get them patched up, shall we?"

Mark nodded. With that, he inched forward, lowering himself down gently picked up Fang in his arms, making sure he was securely in his grasp before he attempted to stand up again, holding his Mighytena to his chest and grunting with effort as Fang's weight reached him. Red moved to his side to help him rise, bringing him back to his feet as Mark hoisted his Mightyena partly over his shoulder; moving him in his Poké Ball would have been much easier, but he wanted to carry Fang up to the terminal himself, not let the ball do it for him. He saw Vitesse standing up as he and Red approached the staircase, joining them and following behind Mark as they climbed the stairs to the path above, just in case he lost his balance while carrying Fang.

Fang was heavy, of course; he was quite large even as Mightyena went, weighing more than a hundred pounds and standing a few inches taller than the average of his species. If not for keeping fit as often as he did, there was no way Mark would ever be able to carry Fang himself, but he managed, believing Fang deserved better than to be carried around in his ball, and so despite the strain it caused him, Mark kept climbing, carrying his beloved companion with the safe accompaniment of another at his back to help him if he needed.

He rose over the top of the stairs to applause.

Mark was caught off guard by what he heard as he climbed over the last step on the stairway. Randy, Brock, Lance, the Kanto Elite Four, the shopkeepers, even Blue -they were all clapping their hands in congratulation as Mark rose over the top of the steps. He looked back at Red, excepting to find out that the applause was meant for the actual victor of the match, but Red was only just coming over the stairs himself, followed by Charizard -Mark had actually forgotten Charizard was still out of his ball, as the dragonic Pokémon had barely made a sound throughout the last battle.

All eyes were on Mark; they were not looking at Red, they were looking at him, and as he walked between them and approached the Pokémon League building, they complimented him on the amazing battle that they had all born witness to, claiming that it had been a privilege to see such a fantastic battle. He didn't feel worthy of the praise, but he received it all without making a face or voicing any protest.

All of the ruckus had stirred Fang from his unconscious state. His eyes shakily opened, unknown to the trainer carrying him through the crowd. The wandering red orbs found Vitesse first; she noticed his open eyes quickly, and let out a low, comforting coo to the Mightyena, even reaching over and gently scratching him behind the ear. It was when Fang shifted at her touch that Mark knew his Pokémon was awake.

"I'm proud of you boy," Mark stated, looking over his shoulder at Fang as much as he could. "That applause isn't just for me or Vitesse; it's for you too." His hand gently caressed Fang's back. "You're the best Mightyena that any trainer could ever have."

Fang whined slightly, bringing his head closer to Mark's and gently nuzzling him before shutting his eyes once again, letting out a long sigh as he drifted off.  
Red walked ahead of Mark to get the door for him, holding it open for the Hoenn trainer. Mark walked sideways into the League, followed by Vitesse and then Charizard before he too stepped in, with the many spectators quick to follow as well…

All, except for one, who walked off the path and produced a cell phone from his pocket, punching only two buttons before he brought it to his ear. "Kanto Operative nine-six, reporting in," He said lowly into his phone. "I found something."

* * *

Mark left all his Pokémon with the nurses at the Pokémon Center, as did Red, before they were both treated to lunch by Lance. They brought a few tables together where they could all sit and talk, reviewing the battle amongst themselves, retelling their favorite moments of the match.

Randy even replayed some of the footage, uncovering the secret to Snorlax's rebound-trick when he had bounced back from the cliff wall to hit Tanker from behind. It turned out he had not 'bounced' at all, but rather he had somehow turned himself over, uncurled his legs and then kicked off of the cliff wall to send himself hurtling back towards Tanker. Though it seemed impossible for such a large Pokémon to make such a maneuver within a split second, but the footage did not lie and unlikely did not mean impossible.

"That battle was truly a spectacular contest," Lance stated as discussion about 'favorite' moments was concluded.

"I'll admit, it was pretty good," agreed Blue, not even sounding reluctant. "Mark fought a good match against Red."

"He came closer to beating him than I ever did," Lance too admitted, though with more reluctance than Blue. "I daresay Red, I believe you have found another rival."

Red laughed lightly, adjusting his hat and leaning back in his seat. "I seem to be collecting quite a few of them," he said, sarcastically. "First Blue, then Ethan, then the current Unova Champion and now a former Hoenn Champion. It seems like there are stronger trainers emerging every year, doesn't it?"

"Better watch out Lance," stated Blue. "Pretty soon, someone might come and take your place too."

"I would welcome the honour to face a worthy new Champion," returned Lance. "If Mark had the eight official badges of Kanto, I might have even ceded the title to him when he beat me."

Mark laughed at that. "I'd prefer to stay close to home, truthfully," he said. "If I ever become a Champion again, I'll probably be aiming to retake my title in Hoenn, or the Pokémon World Tournament -if another one is ever hosted."

"So, Mark," Brock chimed in after sipping on his drink. "Where will you be heading next?"

Mark hummed as he folded his arms on the table, looking up at the ceiling. "Johto, probably," he replied. "That's the next closest region, so it stands to reason I should go there."

"So, you'll be looking for Ethan then," stated Lance.

"He's quite a trainer himself," added Red. "He's just as strong as I am, if I had to be honest, and his Typhlosion is one of the most powerful Pokémon I've ever seen."

"Then I better prepare," stated Mark. "I had to train hard just to take on Red -I'll have to train even harder to battle Ethan. My Pokémon and I are strong together, but admittedly I should spend more time with Saber -get him more used to me, and I still have to find out what Tanker's special ability is when he Mega Evolves."

Out of the corner of his eye, Mark noticed Brock glance over at him oddly, followed by a short reply from the Pewter Gym Leader. "Sand Force," he stated.

"Pardon?" Mark asked.

"Mega Steelix's ability is Sand Force."

Mark tilted his head curiously. "How do you know that?"

"Jasmine," he replied. "The Steel-type Gym Leader in Olivine City in Johto; she told me."

"And how did she know?" Mark asked, deeply curious. "Does she have a Steelixite?"

"No -at least not since last time I saw her," replied Brock. "But she did do some extensive study on it before taking a trip to Kalos looking for one because she felt it could help her become stronger. She told me that Mega Steelix's ability is called Sand Force -which, if memory serves, increases the attack strength of Steel, Rock and Ground-type moves used during a sandstorm, not to mention giving Steelix an incredibly strong defense."

Mark thought back to his battle with Lance, where he had used Tanker's mega evolution for the first time since finding the Steelixite in the tunnels beneath Mt. Chimney, which he had been exploring during his temporary retirement. He remembered how powerful Tanker had become after using Sand Storm, but had initially mistaken it for the power of the Mega Evolution -which, most of it probably still was, but knowing that Tanker's attacks had been made even more powerful by the active Sandstorm helped clear away any doubts he had about Tanker being able to beat a Pokémon as powerful as Hydreigon.

"That explains a lot, actually," he stated. "Sand force, huh? Powerful ability from the sounds of things. I can definitely make use of that." He then chuckled. "But, she's wasting her time looking for a Steelixite in Kalos -there aren't any there. So far it's only been found in Hoenn -I found mine in a tunnel running under Mt. Chimney."

"Oh. I better make sure to tell her that if she plans to take another trip to Kalos anytime soon."

"Where did you meet Jasmine, Brock?" Red asked, curiously.

"Well, she called me to Johto requesting some advice," explained Brock. "A pupil of hers was raising a new Onix to later evolve into a Steelix of their own to be used in the Gym, but she was having some difficulty, so she called on someone who knew more about Rock-types than she herself did -or maybe just someone who knew a lot about raising an Onix. I headed to Olivine, shared what advice I had to her pupil and that was that. But we talked a bit while I was there and that's where I found out about Mega Steelix's ability."

"Fascinating," said Lance. "Sand Force could be quite helpful if you enter battle against a very strong trainer."

"I think so too," agreed Mark. "Just wish I had known about it sooner. Not that I would have used it against Red, considering Charizard knocked Tanker out in a single hit."

"To be fair, Tanker was already pretty worn out," Red reminded.

Mark turned to Red, adopting a more serious expression as he addressed him. "Now, if you're still willing to, you want to explain what the deal is with Mewtwo?" He asked. "You said he's a product of science, but what kind of science could produce something that powerful?"

"Well I'm no science wiz," started Red, once more adjusting his hat, his gaze falling to the table in front of him. "But ten years back is when we discovered him. Before that, I found a journal in the ruins of the Pokémon mansion on Cinnabar Island that spoke of how he was created. Somehow that journal survived the fire that destroyed the mansion, and was just intact enough to read."

"Do you still have that journal?" Randy inquired.

"No," replied Red with a sigh. "I didn't realize just how significant it would be, so I left it there. No doubt it perished with the rest of the town when the volcano erupted."

"Well shit; I was hoping to see it," grumbled Randy.

"How much did you learn?" Mark asked.

"Let's see…" Red muttered, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he recounted those earlier years. "The research team that created Mewtwo did so from the embryo of a pregnant Pokémon they found in the far southern reaches of the world. I don't remember the name of the region, but they took the Pokémon and experimented on its offspring, not realizing just what Pokémon they had found."

"Mew," Mark stated.

"Yes," Red confirmed. "They named it that, and they tampered with the genetics of Mew's baby; what else they put in, I don't know for sure, but Mewtwo was the result. Mewtwo was so powerful, they were beginning to fear it, but before they could come up with a new way, well… the mansion burned down, and that was the last anyone had seen of the scientists or Mewtwo. Almost everyone believes the mansion fire was an accident."

Blue chimed in, adding to the story, "but I'm sure Mewtwo caused it when he escaped his captivity, and then disappeared for many years until by happenstance, I found him while exploring Cerulean cave looking for rare Pokémon."

"Did you try to capture him?" Randy asked.

"Of course I tried," returned Blue. "But I… had a setback."

Randy arched an eyebrow. "Setback, meaning, he stomped you?"

"N-No, it was nothing like that!" Blue retaliated, which only made Randy laugh at how flustered Blue had become so quickly. "Why you smug little…! You want to throw down right now?! I'll bet my Blastoise will hose away that attitude of yours!"

"Me, against you?" Randy asked, grinning. "You couldn't even beat Mark, and now you want to battle the guy who took his Champion title from him?"

Mark ignored the growing spat between Randy and Blue to continue pressing Red for information. "Didn't any of the scientists survive?"

Red lowered his gaze again, hiding his face behind the visor of his cap, humming in thought. "Yes… one did," he replied after a moment.

"Where is he?" Mark asked.

"He lived in Lavender Town, running the Pokémon House where stray or abandoned Pokémon were taken care of by volunteers," explained Red. "His name was Doctor Fuji."

The melancholic tone in Red's voice was quite clear to Mark. "Was?" He repeated.

"He passed away a couple of years ago," explained Red. "He was old, you understand. He died peacefully in his sleep, and after that, the town began funding the continued operation of the Pokémon House, which was renamed the Fuji Care Center, and freshly refurbished."

Mark sensed the sadness in Red's words as he spoke about Dr. Fuji, and quickly pieced together the reason for his pain. "You knew him, didn't you?"

"I did," replied Red, reaching into the pocket of his coat and producing his keystone, holding it in his palm. "He's the one who gave me this, and the Mega Stone Charizard carries. But besides that, he became a good friend, and everyone in Lavender town idolized him for his kindness and willingness to help Pokémon in need, giving them a home when no one else would."

"Sounds like he was a good man," commented Mark.

"Maybe," returned Red. "Part of me just wonders if he was trying to atone for the mistakes he made when he created Mewtwo. Though Mewtwo and I have grown close, his creation is just more proof that human beings shouldn't be tampering with the forces of nature. Mewtwo is one of the most powerful Pokémon in the entire world -stronger than even most Legendary Pokémon. I fear that if I hadn't found him, he'd have gone on to become dangerous to humans. So, I do what I can to make him feel welcome, giving him a place he belongs, and I continue to travel the world looking for Mew, so that he won't have to be an outcast for as long as he lives. However long that is."

"Are you saying he's dying?" Mark asked.

Red raised his head in alarm at Mark's question. "Oh no, not that. Or at least I don't believe so," he replied. "I mean, well… it's hard to say. In the ten years since I caught him, he hasn't shown any sign of aging. But with all the tampering to his genes, it's hard to say how long a lifespan he would have."

He shook his head. "But that's not the point I was trying to make. Ten years ago, I caught Mewtwo and began searching for Mew hoping to complete the PokéDex once and for all. But as Mewtwo and I grew to understand each other in started to realize how alone he really was; he is the only one of his kind, robbed of his true heritage and turned into an outcast, and to top it off, the gene tampering damaged his reproductive system- I call Mewtwo a 'he' but the truth is, it's neither male or female; Mewtwo is genderless. As such, he can't even produce offspring, hence he is the first, and last, of his kind.

"Eventually, my quest to find Mew became less about the PokéDex and more about finding Mewtwo something he could relate to somehow; maybe even find the Mew that was supposed to be his mother if I want to really press my luck. If anyone would accept him and truly make him feel like he belongs, it'd be that Mew."

"That's a pretty big undertaking," stated Mark. "You're really willing to go that far for Mewtwo?"

Red turned to Mark and smiled at him. "Would you do any less for Vitesse or Fang?"

At that, Mark chuckled. "I suppose I wouldn't," he replied, before his smile faded. "But how do you know that Mew is still alive?"

"The journal on Cinnabar never said that Mew was still in captivity when Mewtwo broke free, or even after he was created," explained Red. "She may have escaped or even been freed when Mewtwo destroyed the lab. If she did, she may be out there now, looking for her baby, or trying to start a new life far from humans. Either way, that Mew belongs with its child, and I hope to reunite them. If I can't, then I'll at least find another Mew that Mewtwo can bond with. However it turns out, my quest goes on."

As if Mark could not have had any more respect for Red after their battle. But surely enough, he felt a well of it rising within him, feeling as though when he looked at Red, he looked upon someone who would give his life to protect the Pokémon of the world; it moved him, in a way nothing else ever had before. Even Randy and Blue had ceased their argument to listen to his words, stunned by the commitment he showed to his goal, while Brock and Lance were both wearing proud smiles on their faces as they listened to his proclamation.

Mark laughed light-heartedly once again. "There really are no other trainers like you out there, Red. I don't think I've ever met or even heard of someone willing to try so hard for one Pokémon."

Red smiled broadly at Mark's compliment. "Coming from you, that means a lot. Especially after seeing how much you care for your own."

Lance glanced over his shoulder as a door opened, and a nurse appeared, rolling a cart out from the treatment center and followed by Vitesse, who was carrying an armload of Poké Balls as she followed the nurse over to the gathering.

"Speaking of quests, Mark," Lance said, getting the attention of the Hoenn trainer. "It would appear you can resume yours now, too."

Mark followed where Lance was looking, and shot to his feet when he saw Vitesse following the nurse carrying his Poké Balls in her arms. Red followed suite as he realized that the Pokémon on the cart were probably his own.

"Hey girl, how're you feeling?" Mark asked his Blaziken.

She replied with a happy, healthy cluck, stepping closer to Mark and nodding her head to the Poké Balls she carried. "She was very adamant about bringing those to you herself, you know; she would not even go into her own ball."

"She does that," replied Mark, returning his Poké Balls to the holster in his vest one at a time. "Anything amiss with any of them?"

"None whatsoever," replied the nurse. "They have all healed well and are perfectly healthy."

"Excellent," said Mark. "But just the same, I think I'm going to give them a break until I find Ethan. If any of them are feeling as worn out as I do right now, they deserve it." He looked briefly at Red, who nodded back in agreement as he added his Poké Balls to the holster on his belt. With that, Mark turned to Lance, who had also left his chair and was standing by the table.

"Speaking of," began Mark. "Lance, do you know where I might be able to find Ethan? I know that Johto and Kanto both share this league so you know if he's stopping by anytime soon?"

Lance's expression soured a little at that question, eyes rolling to the side as he seemed to be considering how to answer. "Well…"

"What's the matter?" Randy asked.

Lance answered quickly, though his mood did not lighten. "To be honest, I have not seen Ethan in quite a while."

"What do you mean?" Mark asked. "Doesn't he check back for new challengers here?"

"He used to, but as of late I haven't seen him nor heard one word of his whereabouts," replied Lance. "The last time I saw him, about four months ago, he seemed to be rather distant, like there was something bothering him. A mere day after he arrived, he said he had to find something, and that was the last I saw of him. He doesn't answer his phone or check in here at the League anymore."

"Is he in some kind of trouble?" Mark asked with concern.

"I don't know," replied Lance. "The only ones who might would be his family, or perhaps Professor Elm in New Bark Town. I'd start there."

"How far is it from here?" Mark asked.

Brock chimed in. "A few days' walk depending on the weather, but there's no road to get there from here," he said. "There's a river separating the boundaries and no bridge to cross."

"What about flying there?" Mark asked.

"I would not recommend it," stated Lance. "There are storms around Mt. Silver and crosswinds that could rip you and your Pokémon right out of the sky this time of year. If you get caught in one, it could be a disaster."

"The fastest and safest way to Johto is the Magnet Train that runs from Saffron City to Goldenrod City," suggested Brock. "You could take that to Johto, and then head to New Bark Town. It would be about the same amount of time but much safer, and you get to travel in comfort."

"Yeah; the Magnet Train is a fun ride," agreed Red.

Mark turned to Randy, wanting his opinion but answering with only a shrug instead. "I guess the Magnet Train it is then," he said. "I did say I wanted to give my Pokémon a rest; I suppose this is the best way to do it. It's not like I'm on any sort of time constraint."

"Then I guess we're heading to Saffron then," said Randy.

"If you find Ethan, let him know I said hello," Red requested.

"Can do," returned Mark before turning his attention to the computer terminal at the Pokémon Center desk. "I better get Palm Tree out of storage; I'll need him to get to Saffron."

"You going to put Saber back in?" Randy asked.

"Not this time. I need to spend more time with Saber, so I think I'll have to put away Tanker or Siren for now -we already know Coal won't go in."

After a short internal debate as he was still loathe to part with any one of his Pokémon, Mark stored Siren into the Pokémon storage system and took Palm Tree back out, before he said goodbye to Lance, thanking him for his hospitality and promising him a rematch one day, before Red, Blue and Brock exited the league with him to see him and Randy off.

Mark turned to speak to Red one last time as he let out Palm Tree to prepare to leave. "Red," he began. "Thanks again for an amazing battle. I learned a lot from you, and I'm looking forward to meeting up with you again."

"The same to you, Mark," replied Red, offering Mark his hand, which the Hoenn trainer shook graciously. "You're a great Pokémon Trainer, and you can still improve. I get the feeling that if we battle again someday, the results will be very different."

"Only time will tell."

Red then glanced at Mark's vest. "I overheard you mention Coal won't go into the storage system; he must be really attached to you to loathe being parted from you that much."

Mark chuckled at that. "Attached? Yeah, I guess you could say that. I think Coal considers me to be his adoptive father. Along with VItesse here," he gestured to the Blaziken. "I was one of the first things he saw when he hatched from his egg."

"I see," returned Red. "Well, to be honest, it may be best that you don't store him. I think he's getting close to evolving."

Mark's eyes widened at that. "Evolving? How do you know?"

"Call it a hunch," replied Red. "He's much more powerful than an average Charmeleon; my Pikachu may not be fully evolved but he has far more experience than Coal, and yet your little friend was able to match him for quite a while. I think he's reached the pinnacle of his growth in his current form -the only way to advance further is for him to evolve. Soon, you'll have a Charizard of your own."

"Now that will be cool," said Randy.

"Definitely," agreed Mark. "My own Charizard… that'll be awesome!"

"Just remember one thing," Red began. "Transitioning from a Charmeleon to a Charizard is fairly difficult for them. The addition of the wings takes away from the agility he'll be previously accustomed to, and then they have to learn to fly, which they know how to by instinct but it takes them a while to get used to it."

Mark nodded, thanking Red for his advice.

All of a sudden, a Poké Ball on Red's belt popped open, startling both trainers as Charizard let himself out of his ball and materialized at his trainer's side. "Charizard?!" Red exclaimed with a start, before asking in a calmer tone. "What're you doing?"

Charizard grunted at Red, before turning his gaze towards Vitesse, who Mark hadn't recalled to her ball yet. Both trainers stepped aside to let Charizard approach the Blaziken, making eye contact with her and staring her down. At first, Mark and Red thought Charizard wanted a rematch with the Blaziken despite their last battle having only been a few hours before. But as they watched, Charizard suddenly held up his claw, clenching it into a fist and holding it out to her. She looked at his claw, before eventually understanding the gesture and returned to meeting his gaze before touching her own fist to Charizard's.

Red let out a light laugh. "I think Charizard has found himself a new rival."

"I guess we have too," returned Mark, glancing at Red.

"So it would seem," the Kanto trainer returned. "And I look forward to the next contest."

"You and me both," returned Mark.

It was at that moment Mark decided that he really had to leave or he would end up spending another night at Pokemon League chatting it up with Red. 0He produced Vitesse's Poké Ball, recalling her to begin the journey, and mounted up onto Palm Tree's back before taking one more look over his shoulder at Red. "See you around." He said, smiling one more time.

"So long, Mark," returned Red, nodding his head to Mark.

Randy, who was already on the back of Skyclaw waiting to leave, watched in silence as Mark rode on Palm Tree's back until he stood at the edge of the plateau, overlooking the vast forest below, spreading his wings and bounding from the ledge, followed immediately by Skyclaw. Both Pokémon, with trainers holding on for dear life, plunged several meters before catching the wind in their wings and ascending until they rose above the plateau, with Red, Blue and Brock watching and waving to them until they had faded away into the twilit sky to the east.

Mark looked back in the direction of the Indigo Plateau a few times until he could no longer make out the trainers watching from the top of the ridge. As he crossed the skies above Kanto, he bore a proud smile on his face, satisfied with his adventure in the Kanto Region. Kanto was home to some of the greatest trainers he had ever met; Blue, Lance, and of course Red, were truly worthy of their reputations. The honour of battling them had been worth every moment of this trip -even its rocky start didn't affect his satisfaction with the conclusion.

And this great adventure was only just beginning. There were still many trainers out there waiting for him.

* * *

 **Important Note from the Author:**

 **I'd like to thank everyone for their patience in awaiting this finale to this arc of Pokemon: Beyond the League. Your support and intrigue is always welcome to me, and I apologize for how long this took.**

 **But, here is where I move on to some bad news.**

 **I have chosen to abandon this account, as I am not very active here and more often than not forget I even HAVE an account here on . Henceforth, I'll no longer be uploading stories here to this account.**

 **Don't worry though; this doesn't mean I'm abandoning my projects. Simply moving them. The main reason for this is so that I can also share artwork with my viewers, and doesn't allow that on the scale which I would prefer. That is why in addition to my already existing accounts on and , I am also launching a DeviantArt account -for those of you who may not like furries; no offense taken or intended- where you can already find this story, fully edited and uploaded, along with another one that I've worked in collaboration on with my roommate, Korban. If this story interests you, you can also find it at the following locations I will link below including my Twitter page where I post updates such as incoming new stories or uploading chapters to existing ones:**

 **Twitter /volcmacaingeal (Follow here for updates)  
**

 **Find all of my content at these locations:**

 **Furaffinity user/phoenixrage16/**  
 **SoFurry**  
 **Youtube Channel channel/UC2PEQNBIcdSStaPelPidMMQ**  
 **DeviantArt**

 **Those of you who do not wish to follow me at these locations, I thank you for the interest you've shown in my work thus far, and greatly appreciate it. For those of you who do follow me at these locations, I will see you all again for another Epic Tale!**

 **Volcan**

 **P.S: Sorry for the formatting issues. This seems to be happening with my writings a lot lately ever since I started using a new word program. I've done what I can to fix it and apologize again for it;** **it should be readable now. If it's still shitty, there's nothing else I can do.**


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